At the 2009 Big Brothers Big Sisters National Conference in Miami, we honored Debbie Groulik as Big Sister of the year. The “Bigs of the Year” are long-term mentors whose volunteer service exemplifies how our volunteer mentoring network improves the odds for more than 255,000 of America’s most vulnerable children. Debbie is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and has been matched with her now 18-year-old Little Sister, Jocelyn, for nearly 10 years.

Debbie signed up to be a Big Sister at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana for what she thought was a self-less act, but now 10 years later, she realizes she wound up finding her true self thanks to her Little, Jocelyn. Debbie hoped to share with Jocelyn the ways she overcame the obstacles of her own childhood, raising her younger siblings as the oldest daughter, but what unfolded was a brand new addition to her family.

For Jocelyn, because her mother was absent from her life, she was being raised by her father and grandmother. They contacted Big Brothers Big Sisters when they realized “there was a hole in her support that we alone could not satisfy.”

When Debbie would travel, she would mail her Little postcards, while Jocelyn sat on her bed paging through National Geographic magazines, exploring all the places across the globe she’d like to visit someday just like her Big. Jocelyn had never been on a family vacation or even a camping trip, but as their relationship grew, Debbie invited her Little to join her and her husband on their road trip to visit family in Cape Cod and Niagara Falls. And that was the spark that ignited a passion in this little girl.

As Jocelyn grew older, she took advantage of every opportunity to travel through educational and community programs. That following winter, they celebrated Jocelyn’s acceptance into the People to People Student Ambassador Program. “I went to different countries: Australia, Japan, Scotland and England. Without Debbie, I never would have thought it possible to be able to go to the far edges of earth to see things that I had only seen in pictures and to have some of the best experiences of my life.”

Debbie recognizes, however, that Jocelyn’s enthusiasm and vigor has also rekindled her own love of adventure and that the pair can just as easily discover new escapades in their own communities. Debbie serves on the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Committee, attending fundraising and recruitment events to get more people involved as Bigs. This past fall, Debbie and Jocelyn spoke together at the Women’s Brunch. Thanks to their keynote testimony, BBBS welcomed an influx of Big Sisters, matching 20 Littles thanks to interest from 10 percent of the event attendees. Additionally, BBBS raised $20,000 after the duo inspired attendees to donate more than they had originally planned.

Jocelyn will be starting college in the fall with a double major, and hopes to someday repay her Big by becoming a Big Sister herself. She looks forward to continuing a lifelong friendship with Debbie, and is excited for the day when her Big will help her plan her wedding, a prospect that Debbie welcomes.

Debbie says: “I’m very proud of her and can see the potential in her as she continues to mature and I look forward to our lifetime of friendship.”

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