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Meet Our 2006 Volunteer Recognition Award Winners

National Volunteer Week is the time that many non-profit organizations like Nutmeg publicly thank their volunteers. Our volunteers are the ones who make the difference in the lives of our young clients. This year, National Volunteer Week was April 23 – 29, 2006 and Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters held our annual Volunteer Recognition Event during that week on April 27th at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center in Wethersfield, CT.

Here is your chance to share some of their stories which were spotlighted in our awards to them.

Volunteer Recognition Awards

Charlene is someone who really thinks about something before she gets into it. She spent a lot of time thinking about becoming a mentor and what she wanted to accomplish when she took on a Little. Even though she wasn’t convinced she had the "right stuff" to be the best mentor possible, she thought she would give it a try.

Charlene needn’t have worried; her match with Little Sister MeeLa has been a great success for both of them. MeeLa, who is 13, is one of 11 children, in a family that originally came to the U.S. from the Thailand/Laos area where they were members of the Hmong community. MeeLa’s family keeps the cultural traditions of the Hmong people alive through their frequent attendance at festivals in which they have included Charlene.

Charlene had lofty goals for her match before she met MeeLa, expecting to have many adventures, to introduce her Little to new fun and educational events, which she has done. What she also found was not only did her Little learn new things and enjoy new experiences, but Charlene also found personal growth from her relationship with her Little. Charlene feels her life is richer. In return, MeeLa is also enthusiastic in her praise of the match with her Big Sister, "When I see her, I always learn something from, or about her. Charlene’s really kind and is always making me happy. She’s a person that will brighten you up."

Charlene and MeeLa have been matched for 3 ½ years and they expect to be close forever.

Dr. Steven Schutzer may be one of the busiest people around. A full-time orthopedics practice, many outside activities, and his family keep him very busy. He had previously been the team Doctor for the Hartford Ballet and still finds time to work with dancers, having developed a specialty in dance injuries.

A few years ago, Steve saw that his sons would soon be off on their own, and that he would have the time to do more of the community work he had wanted to do. The decision whether to go with something that affected many children versus one child was answered after much thought. His prior experience as a Big Brother while in college, tipped the scales and he chose to become a Big Brother.

Steve was matched with Patrick 4 ½ years ago when the boy was 10 years old. Patrick had lost his Dad early in his young life. He was an intelligent boy, but had some typical youthful issues with which his Mom could use some help. This matched up well with Steve’s strengths, and over time Patrick was able to learn life skills, such as the need to establish goals and have patience in working towards those goals. Steve became a trusted advisor to Patrick’s Mom and is frequently on the phone discussing techniques with her for helping Patrick.

It wasn’t long before Patrick became a part of the Schutzer family. Steve and his wife Karen and their sons, Matt and Mike, soon were attending Patrick’s school activities with him, and Patrick became a part of the Schutzer extended family. Matt is currently providing some academic help by tutoring Patrick two nights a week.

From Patrick’s perspective, his friendship with his Big Brother has been very important. "There’s no telling where I’d be without Steve. He means so much to me. When I look back at all the time we’ve spent together, and all the things we’ve done, none of it would be possible without him. And sometimes I don’t think he realizes how much of an influence he’s been to me. He’s been a Big Brother to me through the good times and the bad times."

And when asked to summarize his experience as a Big Brother, Steve replied, "Both Patrick and I have grown tremendously from this friendship. We are so very fortunate. We’ll always be buddies."

Pete Untiet, who works at Mass Mutual in Enfield, has been matched with his Little Brother George for 5 years. Both live in New Britain, where they enjoy activities like going to the gym, and where George accompanies Pete when he coaches softball and hockey. Besides sports, the two enjoy going for drives with the windows rolled down and playing the radio loud while these two "American Idols" sing along at the top of their lungs.

It was George’s Mom who enrolled George in the program, looking to find a reliable male influence for her son. George credits Pete for his personal growth, citing Pete for the trips to the gym helping him to work on the "outer" stuff while his relationship with Pete "helps me work on the inner stuff".

From his perspective, Pete has seen a number of changes in George in the 5 years they have been matched. "George has become stronger, physically and mentally. He looks at his fear and overcomes his obstacles." George responds that Pete, too, has grown. "He’s become more of a father figure." Both agree they will be friends for life.

Harold Wolliston and his Little, Isaiah, were featured in the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters 2005 Annual Report for their participation in the COMET Program, an innovative program created and managed by NBBBS. The COMET program’s mission is to match the children of incarcerated parents with adult mentors.

Harold is the manager of the Goodyear Auto Services Center in West Hartford and is married with two daughters. His girls, ages 4 and 8, are a big part of his life; he makes a point of spending at least one night per week with them for "date night", a chance for them to spend some special time together. It is also an opportunity for his wife Elaine to have a night for herself. (Elaine is also a mentor in the Program and has been matched for two years with a Little Sister.)

Even though his lifestyle was already hectic, Harold knew he had to sign up to be a COMET mentor when he learned that, given some extra attention, children with a father or mother in jail could be taught to avoid the lifestyle pitfalls that got their parents into trouble. Harold was matched with the now nearly 11-year Isaiah a few years ago. It was Isaiah’s Mom who thought that her son would benefit from having regular interaction with a positive role model, and a Big Brother would fit the bill.

Isaiah couldn’t ask for a better friend, confidante and dispenser of practical advice. Together they’ve had their fair share of outings and adventures. "When we go out," Isaiah says, "we go to places I’ve never been." What Isaiah might be referring to are movies, miniature golf, trips to amusement parks and restaurant dinners. Often, the two just hang out and talk.

Harold attends many of Isaiah’s school activities and has a good rapport with his teachers. He has seen major changes in Isaiah since they’ve been matched. Once a shy boy, Isaiah is now more extroverted. He’s even doing better with his schoolwork. "We’re buddies now," Harold says by way of explanation. Isaiah’s mother isn’t quite so low key with her opinion as to why the relationship is so successful. "Isaiah adores Harold," she says emphatically.

Shirley Samuelson has been a participant in Nutmeg’s Foster Grandparent Program since 2001 and had been with a different program in a similar capacity since 1995. A widow for 9 years, she has spent these years being a part-time Grandma to young children and they love her. She is currently working 20 hours per week at the Head Start daycare center at the Human Resources Agency of New Britain. Speaking about Shirley, the teacher in her classroom, Linda Afrazi, says, "Everyone relates well to Miss Shirley. The kids call her Grandma Shirley. They relate to her like a grandmother and miss her when she is not here."

Grandma Shirley works with all of the 16 four-year old kids in the classroom but is usually assigned by Linda to focus particularly on one child who may have special needs. This year she is spending time with Taijah, whom she calls Double Dimples, and the two have "chats" together. Another of her special kids was Austin, a Spanish-speaking young boy who knew no English at the beginning of the school year. At the end of the year, he was easily speaking English, no doubt with a lot of help from Grandma Shirley.

While Shirley Samuelson has one child, she has no biological grandchildren. She estimates that through the Foster Grandparent Program, she probably has 150 adopted grandkids who love their Grandma Shirley.

Lauren Gilbert was single when she became a mentor in Nutmeg’s School-Based Program. She was matched with Justin, who was 8-years old at the time. The match went so well that Lauren and Justin didn’t want it to be over at the end of the school year. They asked to be transferred from the School-Based Program, which meets one-hour per week, to the Community-Based program, in which Bigs and Littles generally spend 6-10 hours per month together.

According to his grandmother and legal guardian, Elaine Rich, Justin’s self-esteem has grown a great deal since he began seeing Lauren. Elaine says, "Justin looked forward so much to spending time with Lauren each week that often he couldn’t sleep the night before their get-togethers."

Now that they were a part of the Community-Based program, Lauren and Justin weren’t limited to one-hour visits in school. They started going to local playgrounds or playing miniature golf. They enjoyed going to Justin’s favorite restaurant, Hometown Buffet. Occasionally they would go to Lauren’s house to create a home cooked meal together.

Justin says of his mentor, "Lauren’s really nice. She’s fun and she understands me better than most people."

Justin wasn’t the only young man in Lauren’s life. Lauren began dating Rob Kellnhauser and in late 2005 the two were married. Rob met Justin and recognized immediately what a great kid he was. He also realized how much Justin meant to Lauren, which got him to thinking. After discussions with Justin and a Nutmeg case manager, Rob signed up to join the pair as a Big Brother to Justin. That made Lauren and Rob a Big Couple and that certainly made Justin very happy! Rob sums up his delight with the arrangement, "I’m really enjoying it."

When Lauren and Rob were planning their wedding, they made plans to include Little Brother Justin. That was such a thrill for Justin and a memory he will always have. Speaking about his feelings for his Big Couple, Justin says, "Before I met Lauren, I was having a hard time, both at home and with my classes. She became my Big Sister in school and turned my life around. Lauren made me feel like a person and showed me a new life. She introduced me to Rob, who was her boyfriend at the time. Rob then became an important part of my life along with Lauren. When they got married, I was very happy to be part of their wedding.

Both Lauren and Rob mean the world to me. I look forward to seeing them every Tuesday. Very very seldom do they miss that day. They give me encouragement to be a good person, and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I really love them. I’d also like to say thank-you to Big Brothers Big Sisters for giving me the opportunity to turn my life around."

Not all Littles are as articulate as Justin, but there are a lot of other kids who are waiting for someone like Lauren to come along and to become a special person in their lives. It is hard to realize that for many kids, a Big Brother or Big Sister may be the lifeline to them at a time in their lives when they may be struggling with issues like peer pressure or problems with school. Studies have shown that kids like Justin, who have mentors like Lauren and Rob, can do better in school and are able to resist some of the bad things that kids can get into (alcohol, drugs, etc.). There are plenty of other Justins out there who could use the same help.

Benjamin Gilman Award

Two years ago, we created our first Youth Recognition Award. This award recognizes an individual who has been a "Little" in one of our programs, an individual who has dramatically surmounted the challenges and complexities of youth. In doing so, this former Little has benefited himself and his community.

The award was named in honor of a former Little Brother from Meriden, Sgt. Benjamin Gilman, who fulfilled a lifelong dream of serving in the military, and who tragically lost his life during his deployment in Afghanistan.

Edward Michaels was 7 years old, living with his Mom and two younger sisters in Wethersfield, when his Dad died in 1973. The following year, after noticing his school work was beginning to slip, his Mom, Rose, thought he might well benefit from having a mentor and contacted Nutmeg. Her main criteria for a Big Brother for her young son were that it be a man who strongly valued education and someone who was Jewish.

Around that same time, Sy Sternberg was a young, successful, and busy, up-and-coming insurance executive, living in Windsor and working in Springfield at Mass Mutual. Sy was contacted by Nutmeg for a donation and he began asking questions about the organization. Before long, Sy decided he would be a donor but he also wanted to become a Big Brother. He indicated his interest in mentoring a young boy who was Jewish and who was interested in education. That match, begun thirty-two years ago is still going strong!

Sy and Edward spent a great deal of time in those early years, doing fun things like miniature golf, t-ball, baseball games and eating out. Sy was there for key events in his Little Brother’s life like his coming-of-age event, his Bar Mitzvah. Obviously there was more going on as Edward started leaning towards an interest in engineering, just like his Big Brother. When time came for the college tour, Sy went along to help advise his Little. No surprise, Edward graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the same school as his Big Brother.

After working in business with his step-dad for 12-13 years, Edward chose to branch out on his own and went on to form Airways Truck Rental and affiliated businesses, which employs 50 people in its Windsor Locks location. He lives in West Hartford with wife Val, and three children Victoria, Deanna and Ronald.

Edward speaks warmly and highly of his Big Brother, Sy. Even today, he will call Sy with a business question when he is looking for some advice. Sy is now living in the NYC area where he is a busy executive. He is the Chairman and CEO of Fortune 100 business, New York Life. But he still finds time for his Little Brother, even attending the event when Edward was named the Benjamin Gilman Award winner for 2006.

Edward is very grateful to NBBBS for creating for him a Father Figure, a Mentor and a life-long friend.

These are just a few of the stories of Bigs and Littles whose lives have been so enriched by the relationships they have developed through their participation in the mentoring programs of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. For more information about becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, call 1-800-525-5437, ext. 117.