BBBSNEW Blog

Tom Herber & Grant

Hi, everyone. My name is Tom, and this is my Little Brother Grant. Many years ago, I saw a tv commercial for BBBS so I looked into the program. It was well organized, and I felt it was an excellent program to get involved in. It is a great opportunity to help a young person navigate the challenges in life and have fun together along the way. Having been matched with Littles in previous years, I decided to get matched again three years ago and was introduced to Grant.  Grant wanted to be matched so that he could learn new stuff and have fun doing it.

Grant and I enjoy hiking nature trails, fishing, activities with Boy Scouts, visiting the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, building forts, downhill sledding, playing board games, and doing odd jobs at American Legion Post 11. The coming years will be very exciting for us as Grant gets older and learns to drive. We currently practice his driving with bumper cars at Bay Beach! One of Grant’s favorite memories was going camping with me at Cub Scout camp years ago. In the future, we are looking forward to going fishing and going to a ball game.

I enjoy my time with Grant because it gives me the opportunity to do some activities that I used to do when I was younger, and it allows me to reflect on the fun and simple things I did when I was younger. Our friendship is also an escape from topics that surround adult life. Since his dad is not around, Grant said that our time together teaches him to be a man and learn new things. As for our future, Grant says, “We’re going to be best friends.”

For those considering becoming a Big, it is easier than you think. The time commitment is minimal, the agency offers many group activities for matches, and it is a proactive program. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!