October Match Spotlight: Eric and Rod

Congratulations to Eric and Rod who are celebrating their 9^th year in the program this month. Eric has been Rod’s Big Brother since he was 7. Throughout the years Eric has witness Rod grow both physically and emotionally. From being shy around strangers and his answers being one word at most, Rod has grown both in stature and in poise.  Proudly, Eric states, “I like the way he can meet new people and shake their hand and have eye contact.  He has a great speaking voice.  He is big and strong.  He has a certain confidence and yet a gentleness.  I also like the way Rod has joined right in when I’ve challenged him to speak or try out new things.  Since, at 16, he’s now bigger than me; I like it that he doesn’t hurt me when we play touch football and he’s always willing to get together. That amazes me”.  He adds, “I really liked to see the energy and joy he exhibits when we do things that he has always wanted to do but was never able to do”. Last year while doing volunteer work, they earned free tickets to Disney World.   “We had an awesome time, as did his younger brother Mario, who went along with us”. Rod’s mother, Linda says that she couldn’t ask for a better Big Brother.  “Eric has helped him apply for a job, has taught him how to drive and to cook.  He is both wonderful and a blessing”.

Community Spotlight: Dr. Stephanie Evans

Big Brothers Big Sisters Ambassador Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans emphatically stated that the mentoring organization is vital. “As is the case all over the nation,” she said, “kids need help.” “You can tell the level of a civilization by how you treat your children.” She further explained how programs such as the ones that BBBS provides are important to democracy: “To have hungry kids or undereducated kids or children with no mentors is a contradiction to all the things we claim we are.”
Dr. Evans left her desk to read pieces of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s last will and testament, which is framed on her wall. She spoke the words with meaning. “We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.”
These ideas influence Dr. Evans work. She is the Director of African American Studies and an Associate Professor of African American Studies and Women’s Studies at the University of Florida. In 2003, she received her Ph.D. in African American Studies from the University of Massachusetts. Interestingly, she didn’t start her higher education until age 25. “No one in my family went to college,” she said. Yet when she started, she said she felt at home. Dr. Evans married her colleague Curtis D. Byrd in May 2009. She has lived in Gainesville for seven years.

Next Page »