Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands Enjoys Success of New Virtual Matches
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands (www.bbbsomaha.org) is making the best of quarantine times by matching Bigs with Littles virtually to continue building kids’ confidence as they navigate uncharted waters. The nonprofit’s first virtual match between Big Sister Michaela and Little Sister Madeline—along with Match Support Specialist Abbey—was done via Zoom and was a quick success in April, followed by another five during the month and growing to a total of 12 by the end of May.
Michaela and Madeline got the conversation going by each drawing two things they were most looking forward to doing together—playing football and horseback riding. They also showed off their pets and talked about their families and, in the end, planned their first virtual “outing” for the following Wednesday and every Wednesday after that.
Virtual matching certainly isn’t the norm for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands, but they took on the challenges of social distancing and found a way to make things work. Building positive relationships between Bigs and Littles has been shown to help build self-esteem and resilience and might be more important than ever in these times of uncertainty. Learn more and consider becoming a Big for a Little who could use a mentor and friend by visiting www.bbbsomaha.org.