This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Big Brother in the Spotlight

Ben Merrill of St. Louis shares his experience as a Big Brother.

At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we know that relationships have the power to change and transform lives. With this in mind, we built a relationship model that leverages the most significant adults in a Little’s life—their parents, teachers, Big Brothers or Big Sisters, donors, and our professional program staff—to open the doors of communication and foster the growth of trusting relationships. This model puts the child at the center and highlights the critical but different roles of the team of adults united on the child's behalf.

As part of this team, the Big takes on a very special role as not only a mentor, but also as an advocate, cheerleader and friend.

One person who understands the importance of this role is Ben Merrill, a junior at Saint Louis University who works with Big Brothers Big Sisters as part of this team.

Find out what's happening in Fenton-High Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When Ben was a high school freshman looking to get involved, a friend suggested teaming up with Big Brothers Big Sisters to become one of its valued mentors. Five years later, Ben is still matched with his Little Brother Nick!

After getting to know one another while working on school assignments, shooting hoops or just hanging out, Ben was able to see Nick slowly come out of his shell.

Find out what's happening in Fenton-High Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Nick is quiet by nature,” Ben said. “He’s also hilarious if you have the chance to see it. But you have to be there long enough for him to let you.”

Now, Ben loves being able to see how comfortable Nick seems laughing and cracking up a group of friends. One aspect of their relationship that Ben finds particularly valuable is the consistency of it.

“I’m not an authority figure,” he said. “With Nick, my job is just to be there for him and share the experience of living life. We learn together. We learn when to work hard, when to give, when to push on. But the important thing is that Nick knows he can always count on me to be there for him.”

For more information on how you can become a Big Brother or Big Sister, or to get your company or organization involved, call Vivian Gibson or Jeremy Lieb at 314-361-5900. Visit Big Brothers Big Sisters on the Web at www.BBBSEMO.org.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Fenton-High Ridge