Little Brother Maurice is a friendly nine year old who enjoys reading, video games and football. Currently Maurice lives with his brother, Teran - who is also in the program, his 3 year old sister, his grandmother and his mother.  And although Maurice's father is semi-active in Maurice's life he hasn't made a profound impact on him, and Maurice is in need of a positive male role model.

Living within the city of San Diego, Maurice’s home was not in immediate danger during this year’s wild fires.  But as many can attest too, it was a stressful week for all residents in Southern California.  With schools not in session, Maurice was antsy in his home and even more eager to have a male friend he could spend some quality, fun time with. So, you can image Maurice’s excitement when he found out that even though his new Big Brother was experiencing one of the most intense weeks of his year, he was still not going to miss meeting his new Little Brother.

Big Brother Mark Tomasello played a major role in our community this past year – as an active duty Fire Fighter for San Diego Fire, he has had a busy month. But Mark also believes in the power of mentoring, and he wasn’t about to miss his match introduction with his new Little Brother, Maurice.

“Fortunately, I have a big brother who was my hero and I looked up to,” said Mark. “Fast forward a number of years and one day while I was watching TV I saw a BBBS ad and thought to myself….. How cool would it be to give that same experience to a kid without a positive male role-model.”

While they have only been matched for a few weeks now, they have found that they have a lot in common and already have many fun activities planned. They both enjoy sports, and at the top of their list, a visit to Mark's station and possibly a ride on a fire engine!

“This program is awesome,” said Mark. “You are encouraged to have fun with a little guy who in my case is nine. In order to accomplish this I am able to act and play like an nine year old and have a blast while occasionally stepping aside to be the adult. Meanwhile a positive effect on a kid is occurring and that can be as simple as him observing you open a door for someone.”

San Diego as a whole is still in a process of rebuilding, after the devastating effects of the fires. But the world is better for one boy – Maurice. You too can be an everyday hero – become a Big Brother volunteer today. 

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