Brett & Ben: “Doing Life Together”

It’s often the unique interests matches share that help them form a bond quickly. A bond that not only fosters a needed friendship, but one that serves as a source of strength and support in difficult times.

This was certainly the case for Big Brother Ben and his Little Brother Brett. Though each was a little nervous when their match relationship started, a shared interest soon broke down any trepidations they had about the experience. “Our first outing, we built a computer,” laughed Ben. “It was right up Brett’s alley and aligned with his interests. Brett talked about that for a long time afterwards. We found that we could just share techy-ness together.”

Brett was 13 when the pair was first matched and he and Ben have managed to find a way to apply their tech interests to additional outings, plus plenty of non-tech adventures. Nine years later, they are still matched through BBBS’ Big Futures program and still sharing life’s adventures.

“It’s been amazing to watch Brett grow through adolescence,” said Ben. “We both went through similar traumatic experiences at the same life stage. It’s been amazing to see him learn how to deal with those things – through the difficulties of life.”

“At the same time, I got to revisit some things in my own life that needed to be dealt with as well,” said Ben. “It has been a great journey to do together.” Along the way, “We became friends, and that was the best part,” said Ben. “I learned that listening and having someone else there is a big deal.”

“Big Brothers Big Sisters is more than an opportunity to volunteer, it’s an opportunity to do life together,” said Ben.

“It’s also not just a way to give back, it’s a way to see your contributions exponentially pay off. If you only have a little time and a little money, how can you make that work in big ways? Big Brothers Big Sisters is a great way to do that.”

You can create this kind of connection for more kids in our community with an Amplify Austin gift to BBBS.

Thank you!