Kaila and Gloria

Kaila is a 13-year-old girl who lives in Ypsilanti with her mom, and three younger siblings.  Her mom wanted her to have a Big Sister to give her more one-on-one.  And Kaila wanted a Big Sister because she is the Big Sister at home, and thought it would be great to have someone to look up to.

Gloria is a mom of three who wanted to give back to her community.  She’s always volunteered and even did a year of service as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Philadelphia after graduating from Western.

We matched Kaila and Gloria together because we thought that Gloria was the right person to give Kaila some of the supports that she needed…she was a mom, but also understood kids.  They have been matched since April of this year and have grown close in that time.  They really like to try new foods and talk and hang out.  They spend a good amount of time at the library and recently the Big Sister got the Little Sister a copy of her favorite book, ‘Forged by Fire’ and they’re talking about reading a book together about race relations with the police through the eyes of two boys, one black and one white.  They really did not have a ton in common when we matched them, but are loving learning about their differences and really appreciate what they’re learning about each other.   

The Big Sister recently had a baby.  And on one of their recent outings they painted letter for the baby’s room.  They hung out, listened to music and the Bigs’ husband cooking them dinner.  It’s great that such a simple outing - spending time together and sharing your life - can be so meaningful for both our Bigs and Littles.

​Gloria was also one of our volunteers at the Rise and Shine event earlier this month – which was a great success!!