We stand for Black lives. Black youth. Black futures.
See our COVID-19 Response & Resources

Christopher & Sheil

In the summer of 2011, an eight-year-old boy from Philadelphia named Christopher gained the attention of the local news as he continued to wait to be matched with a Big Brother. Christopher’s mother, Tira, wanted a mentor for her oldest son because he did not have a positive male influence in his life on a consistent basis and needed a reliable role model. Christopher’s story was highlighted on Fox 29 in order to raise awareness of our organization’s huge, ongoing need for mentors. We are happy to report, though, that we did find a wonderful Big Brother for Christopher and they have been successfully matched for four years.

Sheil and Christopher met in the fall of 2011 and immediately hit it off. Both Big Brother and Little Brother are laid back, have a great sense of humor and love to laugh. They’ve attended quite a few BBBS SEPA sponsored match activities including going to Dave & Buster’s, ice skating and the Annual Picnic, and also like to stay active by playing basketball or having a catch.

Big Brother Sheil really cares about his Little and says he and Christopher often talk about school together. The Little Brother has a goal to improve in reading and is already doing better in the subject. “It’s important he keeps up with school and improves where he needs to,” Sheil told us. “I hope he can be a good influence on his two younger brothers as well.”

Sheil says his experience as a mentor has been fun and rewarding. “I’m doing things I wouldn’t be doing otherwise. It’s a great experience and I can’t imagine there being better opportunities where you can focus on one person who you can help and form a relationship with. You get to see the person grow and help them in whatever way you can. That’s what makes it a really unique experience.”

More Mentoring Matches

Inspiration Story

Whitney & Anayah

Whitney and Anayah have been matched since September 2012. The duo recently had the honor of being one of five matches to walk the runway in BBBS SEPA’s annual Fashion for a Cause event! Anayah,...

Inspiration Story

Kathleen & Safiyyah

Big Sister Kathleen and Little Sister Safiyyah are matched through our College Bigs mentoring program with St. Joseph's University and Gompers Elementary School. Through this program, Bigs visit...

Inspiration Story

Jeff & Joe

Big Brother Jeff and Little Brother Joe are a Philadelphia match who met in October 2011. They have grown close over the years and are now very good friends. Thanks to the support of his Big...

Inspiration Story

Dan & Liam

In 2011, Jeanette Turnier enrolled her grandchildren, Liam and Fallon, to be matched with a Big Brother and Big Sister. "I had heard good things about the organization," Jeanette recalled. "Since...

Inspiration Story

Roxiann & Travis

Growing up, Big Sister Roxiann had an amazing stepmother who helped her realize how important it was to have a role model in her life. Knowing how much that relationship meant to her, Roxiann decided...

Share Your Story

Stories from Big's, Littles, current participants, or Alumni, play a significant role in our success and future growth in the communities we serve.

Submit Yours