When Big Brother Ed Zeagler first met his Little Brother, Christopher - Ed was 57 years old, and Chris was 10. The two were ready for the one year commitment – going out to lunch, talking, and trying new things - and eight years later they are still making plans together. Ed says “I guess you could say Chris decided to keep me.” They are still Big Brother and Little Brother even though Chris has now surpassed Zeagler in height, and will be until Chris ages out of the program this year. Then, Zeagler comments, “I’ll just be his friend.”

Ed and Chris do all the typical outings together, going to ball games, movies, hiking, and talking about their days. Sometimes they would just go out to lunch and catch up. It didn’t matter what they were doing, as long as they were spending time together.
Some would say Hollywood won’t be making a movie about Ed and Christopher any time soon because Ed didn’t single-handedly save him from a life on the street, or swoop in and do something dramatic to turn his life around. Ed just tries to set a good example, and listen. The whole point of having a mentor is that it is a very natural, consistent friendship. While not every piece of pizza will be remembered and assistance with spelling assignments might be a hurdle now long since overcome, Chris will remember how Ed made him feel: important, capable, and worthy – and that’s exactly the type of Hollywood ending that everyone with Big Brothers Big Sisters loves to see over and over again in the lives of our community’s children.

It doesn’t take a superhero to be a mentor. You just have to be able to recognize something special in a child, and that’s one of the easiest things there is to do. Christopher is ready to join the Marines when he graduates from high school this spring. As a former Marine himself, Ed is naturally proud of his young friend, but then again, we know he’d be proud of him no matter what he decided to do.

It’s also nice to point out that Christopher is also following in his Big Brother’s footsteps by serving as a mentor himself. Big Brothers Big Sisters operates a High School Bigs program in Chris’ high school where he spends time with an elementary student each week – continuing on the tradition you could say.

When volunteers step up and take time to show a kid he’s special, it helps open up the world for that child, builds confidence, and gives him extra support. Each Big Brothers Big Sisters match helps create a stronger kid, making better choices and going farther in life because they learn to believe in themselves. Christopher is proof when there are more strong kids out there, our community grows up stronger. And that’s helping change a child’s perspective – for the better.
 

Big Sister Kim Fowler and Dottie