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Updated: 11:10 PM Jan 18, 2010
Local Youngster and President to Meet
Talking about Mentorship and Big Brothers Big Sisters It's the thrill of a lifetime, for a youngster from the Colorado Springs area. On Tuesday, that youngster will be on a plane on his way to meet with President Obama, and he'll be armed with a mission. He'll be telling the President how it feels to have gained a new "Big Brother".
Posted: 11:04 PM Jan 18, 2010Reporter: Shannon Brinias Email Address: sbrinias@kktv.com |
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6 Comments 
It's the thrill of a lifetime, for a youngster from the Colorado Springs area.
On Tuesday, that youngster will be on a plane on his way to meet with President Obama, and he'll be armed with a mission. He'll be telling the President how it feels to have gained a new "Big Brother".
Eleven-year-old Andre got matched with Anselmo DeLaCruz through the Operation Mentor program run by the Big Brothers Big Sisters Pikes Peak.
The program aims to provide mentors to the children of members of the military who face the prospect of deployment.
The two spend several hours together every month, enjoying video games or going to the mall.
Through a videotape project, the two were chosen to meet with President Barack Obama and the First Lady on Wednesday at the White House as part of National Mentorship Month.
Andre's mother, Ayesha, signed him up to get matched with a Big Brother because she was concerned about possibly being deployed as an Army Reservist. She likes her son to have another male role model in his life.
She says, "We have alot of military families in this community, and I think they should learn about this program, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Operation Mentor." She adds, "Because who knew that we'd get to go meet the President because of it?"
Ayesha, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Pikes Peak program specialist Aaron Green, will accompany Andre and Anselmo on the trip.
For the two matched through the Operation Mentor program, this trip offers a chance to create even more memories. Andre says at first, he didn't believe he'd be getting to meet the President. When it finally started sinking in, he says, "I thought it was really amazing... really cool."
President Barack Obama has proclaimed January National Mentoring Month, urging Americans to give back to young people, saying mentors help children grow into productive and responsible adults.
Big Brothers Big Sisters, a network of 385 agencies serving 255,000 children of single, low-income and incarcerated parents and their 255,000 mentors, anticipates an increase this month both in volunteers and in parents enrolling their children.
For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters, follow the link on this page.
Latest Comments
Being a mentor is an important issue. Everyone needs a person in their life that makes a difference to them and provides them with a guidance and friendship. This organization gives back to the community in full circle. Kids gain from Mentors, Mentors gain from kids, parents gain from those Mentors, the Community is better because of those relationships, the school gains from those Mentors. Big Brothers Big Sister has a huge part in making these relationships happen. President Obama celebrating these relationships will help to provide services to those communities that need them the most.
I do not know who Wayne is and why he is so negative. My father was national treasurer for Big Brothers when he retired and was working for $1 a year travelling all over the country raising funds for BBBS. Once a year from Kennedy on, there has been a Big Brother Day in the White House honoring the good deeds of BBBS. Wayne, you have obviously never been a mentor and with attitude, should not be. This is a thrill for the big and the little, don't demean this with your negativism. I would believe that the trip would be paid for by the National part of BBBS IN DONATED DOLLARS and it certainly helps our region to get this type of coverage. Perhaps you would like to make amends by donating to BBBS.
Thank you Cinthya! We need stories like this in the news to counteract the overwhelmingly negative attitude from people like Wayne. Have you no decency to realize how special this moment is for this child? It is not like Obama is putting off signing an important bill to do this. These things are part of being the President and it is crucial for the American population to see that he cares about the entire country, not just politicians.
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