Match of the Month: Reiley and Talyn

Congratulations to Little Sister Reiley and Big Sister Talyn! These two are our December 2021 Match of the Month. Reiley and Talyn are a “Community-Based Match,” which means they get to spend time with one another In the community.

MATCH OF THE MONTH

Every month we celebrate a match with this special recognition. This award honors a match’s dedication to each other and commitment to living out the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan – empowering the potential of youth through one-to-one mentoring.

REILEY AND TALYN

Reiley and Talyn met in October 2019. Initially, they were matched in our partnership program with Schupan & Sons. Reiley spent time with Talyn on-site at Schupan, where they participated in activities together, like building catapults and baking cookies. When the pandemic hit, the match began meeting virtually on a regular basis, which gave them the opportunity to build their friendship in creative ways. While meeting virtually, they were able to process the challenges they were facing in this new, virtual world together. They began meeting in-person again in September 2021 and recently grabbed some pizza together, then spent time checking out the Air Zoo.

Their Mentoring Relationship Specialist (MRS), who supports their match through monthly or quarterly check-ins with Reiley, Talyn, and Talyn’s parent shares, “The past year and a half has been tough on all of our matches, but Reiley and Talyn’s persistence and commitment to one another has been an inspiration.” The Mentoring Team works hard to build trusting relationships with all of the Bigs, Littles, and parent/guardians they work with. They are available to coach and encourage each match participant through the duration of the match, ensuring match satisfaction and most importantly, child safety.

GOALS

Big Brothers Big Sisters asks each of its matches to define goals they would like to accomplish as part of their match. Matches discuss new goals on an annual basis. Most recently, the pair identified the following goals:

• Gain an understanding of others’ perspectives/opinions.
• Practice time management and organization skills.
• Learn American Sign Language.

Congratulations, Reiley and Talyn! We are so happy to be supporting your match, and cannot wait to hear about all of your adventures together.

If you know a child that would benefit from a Big please click here. If you’d like to become a Big, or you know someone who’d make a great Big, please click here.