From left in back: Alma Jimenez with “Little” Yuridia; “Little” Marlene; “Little” Phoenyx with “Big” Julie Wozniak; Bill Booth with “Little” Mason; Devendra & Pradnya Gorhe with son, Rushabh; K.T. & Anita Kishan with “Little” Skylar; Rajkiran & Shruti Gouni; and Mythili & Ravikumar Varadarajan. From left in front: “Little” Connor with “Big” Cindy Bateman; “Big” Sally Searfoss; “Big” Usha Panicker, with “Little”Andrea; Titiksha Gorhe; “Little” Joshua with “Big” Donald Laughlin; Brittany Halferty, Big Brothers Big Sisters Match Support Specialist; Sherri Milton with “Little” Parriah; and “Little” Gracie with “Big” Barb Hull.

By TRINA HOY
Big Brothers Big Sisters

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Big Brothers Big Sisters in Kosciusko County has created the Around the World Nights series. The series was created as an educational tool to help volunteers connect better with their “littles,” and also to give them some experience with other cultures. Each month, a different culture is featured.

India was the destination for August, with tour guide Devendra Gorhe from Biomet Zimmer. Devendra is originally from India and brought his family (Pradnya, wife; Rushabh, son; and daughter, Titiksha) to help explain East Indian culture. 

He also brought friends Rajkiran Gouni, Shruti Gouni, Mythili Varadarajan, and Ravikumar Varadarajan. All were dressed in native attire, which was especially interesting to the kids. They all had a wealth of knowledge about the area and the customs of its people. As the matches arrived at their destination, they received a new stamp in their passport. Devendra began the trip with a slideshow that talked about interesting facts about India. The children created tiger masks in honor of the tiger being their national symbol. 

The kids got to view and touch memorabilia from India, and each got to try four different native snacks, some sweet and some savory. 

There were 10 matches in attendance at this popular match activity. The “littles” are anxiously waiting their visit in September to Columbia South America, which will be presented by Carlos Tellez and his family.

There are many opportunities for community-based volunteers to provide experiences for their “littles” in the community. This series is just one of them. Throughout the county there are many partners who give free or discounted goods or services to help kids in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Our passion is to help at-risk children achieve positive measurable outcomes through one-to-one mentoring. A mentor’s guidance and friendship can inspire educational success, improved self-esteem, better relationships and in turn, better citizens for our community. 

Do you want to become a Big Brother or Big Sister in Kosciusko County?  Would you like to help in some way or learn more? Contact Trina Hoy at (574) 551-6386 or email her at [email protected]. You can also enroll by contacting Trina, or enroll online at www.BBBSNEI.org.