Bigs & Littles NYC Mentoring - Spring Gala
The value of the importance of mentorship is a deeply personal one; I was literally blown away by the authenticity and dedication of the mentors I met at the Bigs & Littles Gala. The Gala, which was held at the Tribeca Rooftop, raised funds for Bigs & Littles NYC, a non-profit formed in 1902 to transform the lives of children through one-on-one mentoring. It was an amazing evening with a program that allowed guests to see first-hand the extraordinary impact Bigs & Littles has on the lives of young people and the mentors who give their time, energy, and resources to help transform their lives. It was an engaging night filled that included passionate speeches about the sustained impact mentoring has had on so many lives, an engaging auction, laughter, and fun. The sincerity, generosity, and kindness of the leadership and guests was wonderful.
“You’re the dad I wish I had.”
I like to think I sat at the best table at the event. Immediately to my right was Eddie, a classical musician* who was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan and now lives in NYC. He described how mentoring his mentee, Daniel, has transformed his life. He explained how they had been paired for ~3 years, and connected on a weekly basis, which often included a variety of activities such as going to the movies, bowling, and shopping. Eddie even started a book club for them; he and Daniel go to Barnes and Nobles on a weekly basis for several hours to explore different books, which he noted had a remarkable impact on Daniel’s performance at school. He noted that while initially Daniel planned to become a rapper or basketball player, Eddie encouraged him to explore different career paths and now Daniel was now preparing to go to college in the South to become an engineer.
I was moved by Eddie’s care and commitment, and how his mentorship has fundamentally changed Daniel’s life. Eddie shared many stories, all of which depicted his deep care for Daniel in many ways - from taking him shopping to guiding him on how to build his character and shape his life, to the point that Daniel one day told him, “You’re the dad I wish I had.”
Eddie & Daniel
As Eddie described the vast array of activities he and Daniel did on a weekly basis, Liam, a “Big” to Keyvon on the other side of our table, jokingly said he had to up his game. Liam described with such affection how beneficial being a mentor to Keyvon has been in his life. Surprisingly, Liam and Keyvon were a featured mentor/mentee pair during the event, where Liam and Keyvon gave a heartfelt speech describing how transformative Bigs & Littles has been in both of their lives.
In his speech, Liam described how the media constantly points how how different we are and how we can’t understand each other, but he felt this couldn’t be further than the truth, citing, “Anyone who claims to be in the light, but hates a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.”
He further went on to say that while donating to Bigs and Littles was vital to the organization that , “dedicating your time, however, will bring you a peace with the world that is simply not available through any other avenue.”
“Dedicating your time however will bring you a peace with the world that is simply not available through any other avenue”
Keyvon & Liam
In sum, I was touched and moved by the event and the transformative impact the organization has on literally changing the lives of young people in NYC. It was a fun and engaging affair, and inspiring to see such generosity in terms of resources and time. Whether you are looking to donate your money to support such an incredible cause, or looking to donate your time to change a young person’s life, or both, I highly recommend looking into Bigs & Littles NYC to learn more.
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*If you’re interested in hiring a musician for any upcoming events, Eddie’s email is edwardcallahannyc@gmail.com.