Tony and Jalen have been matched for 8 months. Tony is the Big and Jalen is the Little; he is 13 years old.
 
Jalen is an only child, and he and his mother live in Belleville. Jalen is described as being shy and chill, and he spends his time reading about sports, listening to music and playing basketball at the YMCA. With just Jalen and his mother in the home, Jalen was in need of a positive male role model. Tony was just the guy for the job! He says experiences from middle school and high school helped him become the person he is today, and wanted to help kid who may have experienced the same things. The pair quickly bonded over going bowling, playing basketball and watching sports together.
 
More recently, Jalen and Tony had the opportunity to ride four-wheelers together! This was the first time Jalen rode a four-wheeler, and they had a ton of fun! Jalen was all smiles after this outing.
 
Jalen has experienced a lot of change within the last year- and even switched schools. Tony has helped Jalen keep his mind off of things by just chatting with him and hanging out together. Tony has learned that with consistency, patience, and trust even a teenager will open up to you. 

Kate and Cherie are our Match of the Month for November. Kate is the Big Sister and Cherie is the Little Sister, she is 11 years old and the two have been matched for about a year and a half.

Kate and Cherie are a unique match, with very unique stories. They like to play with the kittens that Kate fosters and eat Saganaki together, but one of their favorite activities is going boating. Cherie says that going out on the boat with Kate has made her feel braver! This is important because one time when they were going on a nature walk together, right before they were going to go boating, Cherie was chased by a goose!

This match is very reflective. Cherie has shared that Kate has taught her a lot about integrity and has helped her be more strength-focused and confident. Before being matched, Cherie was very quiet and shy, but now she can proudly tell you about all the things she’s good at—like art and running races—and she feels comfortable talking to new people.
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As a side note, we recently wrapped production on a short video that will premiere at Rise and Shine for Kids’ Sake. Kate and Cherie participated and we were really blown away by Cherie’s confidence speaking on camera!