“Alphonso is a wonderful Big Brother.”

These words are spoken by everyone involved in his match – his Match Support Specialist, his Little Brother’s mom, and most importantly, from his Little Brother Victor.  Alphonso and Victor have been matched since May of 2005, and they are still going strong.

“Not completely knowing what I was getting into, I nervously waited for the first day to meet my little brother,” said Alphonso.  “Once I finally got my chance to meet Victor, I knew that I wasn’t the only one that was nervous.  After a couple visits, the shyness went away and the friendship begun.  Since joining the program, my experiences with my Little Brother Victor have been some of the most memorable experiences in my life.”

His BBBS Match Support Specialist, Marjorie Rinaldi, just raves about Alphonso.  He is an example for all Bigs and a good representative for the agency.  Through her interactions with Alphonso, Marjorie has been told that Victor’s handwriting has improved over the school year, as well as his time tables.   She has no doubt that this positive change has been a result of Alphonso’s influence.

“Alphonso and Victor always do homework first, and if they have any extra time they will either color or go outside and play basketball,” said Marjorie.  “I can always count on him to be at the session, to provide support and spend time with Victor.”

Alphonso is driven by a lot of things.  Recognized last year as BBBS's Bigs in Schools Big Brother of the Year, Alphonso continues to be a tremendous volunteer.  He is the only male volunteer at Logan Elementary, showing his dedication and commitment despite being outnumbered.  Working in sales and continuing his educational pursuits full time, there is no doubt he has a lot going for him.  Yet he never misses his meetings with Victor.  It’s his favorite part of the week.

“Every Thursday, I look forward to hanging out with Victor,” said Alphonso.  “Being able to play a valuable roll in the development of Victor is very special to me.  Knowing that Victor picks up on everything I do and say, I try my best to relate to him as if we were two fourth graders having fun on the blacktop.”

Alphonso is a good person.  Alphonso is not only my Big Brother to me; he is like my real Big Brother to me.  Alphonso is my best friend to me.  Alphonso helps me with my homework and more things, too.

                                                                                    - Love Victor, your friend

BBBS of SDC is lucky to have volunteers like Alphonso Johnson and are always looking for more.  Want to bring a little magic into someone's life?   Volunteer now >>