Big Brother Jim says the why behind mentoring is simply to make a difference. Jim grew up without a father, knowing he could have a father-figure influence on a young man (much like he did from other strong men in his life) was motivation enough to become a Big. A particular time he thinks of, where it really hit home that he was having a positive impact, was when he had the chance to take his Little Brother on one of his family reunions. To see the reaction of his family, how they welcomed and included his Little Brother, affected not only Jim, but his Little for a lifetime. For Jim, there is a guarantee as a Big that you will grow from it. 

Little Sister Zayleigh shares "Having a big sister makes me feel like I have someone to talk to when I can't talk to anyone else. It's nice because she helps me through drama at school and I have a lot of drama! My favorite memory is when we went roller skating in the neighborhood and it was a really hot day and we were just skating and realized we went way too far and we were too hot to skate back... so we decided to go to the gas station because it was closer than the house but then we gave up and called for a ride. It was so much fun."  

Big Brother Eric says, "I’ve seen something many times in this career:  the eyes of a young boy staring in awe at the presence of a police officer near him.  There is fascination, fear, wonder and curiosity in the moment.  I became a Big because I know I have the power to influence a young person.  Bigs in Blue makes it easy for an officer to answer the call to honor the responsibility of holding power and influence.  I look forward to the day when the majority of officers in our department have a little to say to, "Follow me." Tony now has a solid person to rely on, call when he feels big, hard feelings. He knows he can trust Eric and even when he makes a mistake, he has someone to help pick up the pieces.