For the Student of the Year, the Friendship of a Lifetime!

To see the picture of Anthony and Matt on the day they met just over four years ago, you would have thought you had a major “mis-match” on your hands. Big Brother Matt is smiling broadly, even laughing. Little Brother Anthony looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

No wonder. Anthony had never had a positive male role mode in his life. And because he didn’t trust men, he didn’t really have confidence in himself, or have any vision for the kind of man he might like to be.

But What a Difference a Mentor Makes!

There are three ways that Matt’s influence on Anthony’s life is reflected. Physically … mentally … and in his heart.

Physically, these two have done activities that, four years ago, you wouldn’t have thought possible for Anthony. They’ve gone mountain biking. They played tennis and water skied. They’ve hiked, roller bladed, even gone bowling. Anthony has learned that he can do anything he sets his mind to!

His progress academically has been just as impressive. Anthony, a ninth grader, was recently named “Best Student of the Year” at his school. He and Matt have their eyes on a scholarship so Anthony can attend college in three years.

But the biggest changes in Anthony are the ones inside himself. Learning to trust … learning to believe. Today, Matt says “I expect we will remain friends for the rest of our lives.”  And Anthony seems just as confident. “I feel like we will be together forever.”

In 2005, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah named Matt “Big Brother of the Year.” But Anthony didn’t need an award to tell him what a great friend and mentor Matt is. All he needs to do is look at himself! His smile, his stature, his beaming confidence (“I can do anything with my life,” he says) … that tells you all you need to know!

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