The Garden City Telegram

  Add Your Comment | Read (1) Comments

Big brothers in the making

Published 10/17/2009 in Local News

By RACHAEL GRAY

rgray@gctelegram.com

Fourteen-year-old Jerrell Peterson didn't think Big Brothers Big Sisters would be so much fun.

When Jerrell got matched with his Big Brother, Cedar Valerio, he didn't think they'd be doing fun things like going to college and high school football games, to the movies and going out to eat.

"I thought it would just be doing homework and school stuff," he said.

Jerrell, an eighth-grader at Abe Hubert Middle School, moved to the area with his family two years ago from El Paso, Texas.

His mother, Danah Prophet, signed up Jerrell and his younger brother, Dontrell Gaston, 12, for Big Brothers Big Sisters after the boys had positive results from the Big Brothers Big Sisters Big Sisters school mentoring program.

Dontrell, a seventh-grader at Abe Hubert, agrees the program is a lot of fun. He's paired with Tommy Warner, division manager of Crop Production Services.

Dontrell said the two do a lot of outdoor activities such as camping, golfing and fishing.

"I like being outside, walking around and looking at nature. I like trying new things," Dontrell said about activities with Warner.

Both Jerrell and Dontrell are involved in sports at Abe Hubert and said their big brothers come to some of their sporting events.

Warner said he got involved in the program through work and wanted to have more community involvement. Warner is married with two children and said he includes Dontrell in family activities at times, and other times meets him one-on-one.

He said Dontrell has a lot of positive qualities.

"He's really strong. He likes learning and doing new things. Dontrell's passionate to learn things," he said.

About Jerrell, Valerio said since they've been paired, he's seen some changes in him. Valerio didn't know if the changes were attributed to their friendship, but he said they were positive.

"He used to have some problems in school, but now he doesn't. I don't know if I had anything to do with that because those are changes he has to make on his own. He has to do it," Valerio said.

Jerrell said Valerio has definitely been a positive influence.

"He takes me to do fun things and shows me school is important," Jerell said. Valerio was the first one from his family to graduate college. He teaches elementary school physical education.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kearny and Finney Counties will receive $30,000 from United Way this year.

The organization has two major programs. The school mentor program consists of a big brother or sister spending time with a student at school, not necessarily just helping with homework but talking to the child and providing a positive influence.

The community volunteer program allows volunteers to take their child out on activities that both the adult and child enjoy.

Tammy Davis, executive director, said because there was no summer school this past summer, some local businesses stepped in and gave up an hour a day, Monday through Thursday, to do tutoring. She said more than 200 kids enrolled in the summer program.

Davis said the playground program also is popular in the summer, which involves supervised play for two-and-a-half hours per day. The program includes games, sports, crafts and talks from police, Red Cross and 4-H clubs.

She said the appeal of the programs are that they are free and focus on community health.

"We really try to focus on the kids feeling good about themselves. We focus on positive things in the community — things that are good for them," she said.

Davis said many of the children involved in programs will someday grow up and have children of their own, and many would stay around the area.

"We want to work with this generation to benefit them and the next," she said.

Davis said the programs that involve role models are important for the community.

"When adults look back on their life, they usually have adults who have made an impact. It could be a friend, a coach or a neighbor, or a teacher," Davis said.

"The world is a different place now. A lot of people don't have the same support. Through our organization, they can find it," Davis said.

Jerrell and Dontrell said they decided to continue with the program.

When asked if they planned to become "big brothers" one day, both nodded and said, "Definitely."

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kearny and Finney Counties is one of 21 local agencies set to receive funding in 2010 from United Way, which is in the midst of its annual fundraising campaign. This year's goal is $550,000.

Other organizations receiving United Way funding are: United Methodist Mexican-American Ministries, Community Day Care, Emmaus House, Spirit of the Plains CASA, Russell Child Development Center, Garden City Area Chapter of the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Miles of Smiles, Kansas Children's Service League Head Start, Garden City Family YMCA, United Cerebral Palsy of Kansas, Catholic Social Service, Family Crisis Services Inc., Meals on Wheels, Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association, Smart Start, The Garden City Recreation Commission Playground Program, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Santa Fe Trail Council Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland.

---

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Finney and Kearny Counties

Contact: Tammy Davis, director

Address: 201 1/2 N. Main St.

Phone: 275-2424

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon Friday

Welcome!    

Today's events • Weekly Events

Submit An Event