News & Stories

On October 23, 30 of our Big and Little Matches had pumpkins up to their elbows! Carving pumpkins that is. They spread out all across West Club with their ideas, pumpkins, carving tools and got right to work making their masterpieces. Some kids were thrilled to dig their fingers into the pumpkin’s insides while others made their Big do that dirty work. Each pumpkin had its own unique personality – from a basic scary face to elaborate landscapes.

One young boy who had been matched to his Big Brother for 4 months decided to turn their carving into a zombie pumpkin. Together they hunted down the largest knife they could find and proceeded to take turns inflicting the pumpkin with slashes (under supervision, of course). It was his first time carving a pumpkin, but he confided that the real reason he was there was simply to spend time with his Big.

Then things got really exciting. One of the Bigs, Jon, brought dry ice with him. Quietly and carefully he and Little Brother Jayden put the dry ice in a cup of hot water. The result was a fog like substance spewing from their pumpkin’s face. Spooky! Jon then went around and helped the other matches give their own pumpkins the “dry-ice effect.” Jayden wouldn’t leave Jon’s side, proudly telling other matches that Jon was his Big Brother.

Janelle, one of the Big Sisters who was at the event, later shared this post on Facebook:

“I don’t normally post things like this but I wanted to share the experience I have been so lucky to have. Over the past year I’ve had the most amazing opportunity to be a Big Sister to the coolest young lady I know. When I first started I was very nervous and had no idea what to expect. This last year we have become such amazing friends and we look forward to spending time together. I feel like I have learnt more from her then I could ever thank her for. Up till tonight we have usually done activities on our own, tonight we went to our first group event. I left so touched and full of love to see how many Bigs/Littles were truly enjoying each other’s company. Most amazing of all was how well matched everyone seemed to be to their Big/Little and everyone complimented each other perfectly. This organization has allowed kids to grow and truly just be themselves.”

“It’s so great to see the matches having such a good time,” says Brooke Wilson, Match Facilitator with BGCBigs and the organizer of the event. “It’s important for us to be able to put on a quality event every month to give our Bigs and Littles an opportunity to try something out of their usual routine. It’s also a great chance for them to meet other matches and make new friends!”

This is just one way BGCBigs works to support and engage our volunteers and families and ensures that kids have the supports they need to do better.

We’d like to thank Superstore for providing the pumpkins!