Success Story

Hi All--

Why all the work and effort if there aren't paybacks? This is one (of many) success stories that I plan to share in the weeks ahead. . .

Mentoring
Big Brothers Big Sisters - Heartland BBBS
Little Brother Tony lived with his mom and younger brother Chad. His mom knew she needed some outside help in harnessing Tony’s activity and anger. Tony and Chad had little to no contact with their father. Mom was struggling with her own sobriety and her ability to handle Tony’s more and more frequent outbursts was overwhelming. Mom enrolled Tony with us. Because Tony was only seven, both he and mom were willing to accept a Big Sister as a match. Tony was matched with Big Sister Karly. Karly was a dental student at UNL and from a small town in Nebraska. She loved her time with Tony and he loved his time with her. Over the years, Karly and Tony would do dozens and dozens of activities. They especially enjoyed outdoor activities. Once or twice a year, Karly would take Tony back to her family farm where Tony got to milk cows, fish, ride horses and 4-wheelers and hang with Karly’s dog. Karly’s family grew to love Tony and he felt the same.

There were many outbursts throughout there time together. Sometimes the outbursts were really volatile. Karly worked with our staff to learn the best way to handle Tony during this time. Karly learned to set limits for Tony, yet assure him of her friendship and unwavering support. She remained calm and talked with him respectfully about his behavior; what was acceptable and not acceptable. Sometimes, their time was cut short due to an outburst. But over time, the anger subsided dramatically. Tony knew Karly was his friend and she would always be there for him. Tony grew more and more self-assured. Both he and Karly shared their story on a promotional video for us. Tony said if it wasn’t for Karly, he would have spent a lot of time in the CAPS unit. (this is the child psychiatric unit at Bryan LGH)

Tony is a different boy now because of the relationship he has with Karly. He and his mom fully admit that Tony’s life is forever altered because of her. Though Karly graduated from dental school and has moved to central Nebraska, she and Tony remain close. Tony continues to keep his behavior manageable and is doing very well in school. Tony and his mom and younger brother are getting along better than ever.

This is one of the many reasons we do it, folks. Thanks for your efforts. Check back soon! Dave