Annette finished her MBA (she went at night so we know she’s very dedicated) and found herself wanting to have some fun with her free time. Seems she is an only child who always wanted a big sister or brother. She decided that fun and big brother or big sister had to mean that she was destined to join Big Brothers Big Sisters (we could have told her that) and become a Big Sister. So she signed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester and next thing she knew she was getting ready to meet her new Little.

At that time Hannah was only five years old. Annette was really, really (really) nervous. Would she be cool enough for Hannah? So Annette found herself walking down the hall and passing this beautiful little girl (who could this be?). To her great amazement, ten minutes later this very same little girl was being introduced as Hannah. Hannah was shy and guarded as she met Annette. This makes a lot of sense since Hannah had come from a difficult situation before moving in with her loving grandparents. So she was being careful and checking out this new lady very, very carefully. Good job Hannah.

 As you already know, it has worked out fantastically. They started out slow, doing things in a very safe environment for Hannah, staying near her grandparents. Gradually they moved to playgrounds and similar places and found themselves rollerblading and flying kites. This was very difficult for Big Sister Annette. She needed to re-learn how to act like a kid (anyone else have this problem?). Luckily she had a great teacher in Little Sister Hannah. One day they were coloring together and Big Sister Annette realized she felt like she was six years old again. What a great experience.

Big Sister Annette and Little Sister Hannah have been together seven years. They continue to spend lots of time together but now that Hannah is twelve they’re doing some different things than they used to do (thank goodness).  Not only are Annette and Hannah bonded strongly but their entire families have become good friends. They’ve learned that family doesn’t necessarily just mean bloodlines. It’s just so wonderful how they all help each other out and work to ensure that Hannah grows up to be the most exceptional person she’s becoming.

But you might be wondering about that Garrett who was mentioned in the title. And even if you weren’t wondering, it’s a great part of the story so keep reading. Annette’s older son is now four. Yup, he’s Garrett! It seems that he has become Little Brother Garrett to Big Sister Hannah. We just love this so much. There is one picture of a person in his bedroom and, you guessed it, it’s of Hannah. Even at her young age, Hannah is taking all that wonderful Big Brother Big Sister experience and passing it along to Garrett. She is just so extraordinary.

If you’d like to participate in such a great experience, [volunteer now], or help keep us going by [donating]. And whatever you decide, thanks for being our friend.