BBBSNEW Blog

Kaitie Ellis & Kara

Hi everyone! My name is Kaitie, and this is my Little Sister Kara. I first heard about BBBS a few years ago through a friend who was involved with the program. When I moved to Green Bay, I wanted to get to know the community and find a way to pour into the the local kids. I have been so blessed by adults of all ages who have taken the time to love on me and help guide me through my life. I wanted the opportunity to love on kids and give back to the community by investing into the next generation. I looked up BBBS, and the rest is history!

Kara and I are pretty relaxed in what we like to do together. Most of the time we love to make dinner or dessert together and do a whole lot of talking. Every once in a while we get creative, and we try to explore Green Bay by going bowling, hammocking, grilling out, swimming, ice skating, and doing BBBS match activities. Kara really enjoys it when we watch movies and do crafts at my house, and her favorite memory was hammocking together and laughing about silly things… but she laughs at me a lot, so what’s new! Our hope is that we can have a sleep over sometime in the future and that we can go visit my parents at a camp where they work. 

I feel like we have both learned so much from each other. I love watching Kara learn and grow and figure out more about life. We are two VERY different people, but it is really fun to get to focus on the things that we both enjoy and have so much laughter as we learn from each other and both walk through different life stages. Kara told me that she has learned to be more tolerant of people’s differences and to be more accepting of the people in her life. This girl is crazy smart and loves people so well through her generosity, personality, resilience, and smiles. 

To anyone considering being a Big, here is my advice. The first part of me says, “Sign up right away; it is so worth it!” The second part of me wants to give a fair warning that when you sign up for BBBS, it is something to be taken seriously. It is a fun program and a great opportunity, but these are real kids with big, receptive hearts. Only sign up if you are ready and willing to be purposeful and consistent with them. Many kids have been through a lot in life, and they don’t deserve to have a Big Brother or Sister whose heart is only half in it. But if you’re ready for the challenge and blessing of investing in a kiddo’s life, then sign up as fast as you can!