The following are mentor/child matches through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh.

Site-based Big of the Year Phil Koch (with Little Brother Corey)	“[He] reminds me on a daily basis that it is my social responsibility to help others,” describes Phil Koch of his Little Brother Corey. Matched since 2005, this match demonstrates how mentoring can benefit both the mentee and mentor. “Corey has the kindest heart of anyone I have ever met and he encourages me, though his actions, to open my heart to others.” Such kindness was evident at the recent BBBS Holiday Party where Corey helped many of the Littles who were younger than him learn to ice-skate. He explained to his Big Brother that he felt it was, “his job, his duty…to help the kids that were younger than him.” A wonderful example of what happens when a Site-based match goes well, the two recently became a “full-fledge” Community-based match.
Big Couple of the Year Steven & Angela Eagle (with Little Brother Robert)	Steve and Angela Eagle have been matched with Little Brother Robert since 2002. Despite starting a family during the course of the match, Steve and Angela have remained committed to Robert and have included him in the family “fold.” The couple regularly brings Robert (and his little sister) to Home Depot’s “Kids’ Workshop” program.  Here they’ve made a stool and a bird house among other things. Steve and Angela cheer for Robert at his sporting events and help him get through the bumpy times, like when he had his tonsillectomy. Despite the couple’s work and family schedule, along with Robert’s academic and athletic responsibilities, they realize that being an outstanding Big isn’t about convenience, it’s about commitment.
Big Sister of the Year  Sarah Miller Moore (accepted on behalf of Ms. Moore  by her Little Sister, Felicia)	Sarah and Little Sister Felicia will celebrate their six-year, match anniversary this month. Initially Sarah questioned the need for Felicia to have a mentor, as her mother proved to be a great role-model already. However she quickly realized that Felicia benefited from the extra support while standing tall against the pressure of her peers. Over the years, Sarah made it a point to expose Felicia to other cultures by taking her to “exotic” restaurants. She also incorporated volunteer work into their match outings to give Felicia an appreciation of giving back to the community. Despite the moodiness that comes with the teen years, Sarah took it in stride and points out, “I love the changes that came out of Felicia during this time.” With Felicia taking advanced courses and a college-level class at CCAC while still in high school Sarah says, “I am so proud of her…it is clear she is ready for the wonderful challenges and opportunities of college life.”
Big Brother of the Year Bob Staresinic (with Little  Brother Jamie)	Bob Staresinic has been a Big Brother to two Littles. He was first matched with then six-year-old Little Brother Joshua in 1990. In addition to being from a single-parent home, Joshua was legally blind with only peripheral vision available to him. It didn’t matter that Joshua couldn’t play catch or ride a bike, Bob made certain it was a non-issue. He took Joshua to the Pittsburgh Playhouse with a special behind-the-scenes look at the backstage. Josh helped Bob move his sister to her new home. The two adopted a garden space at a convent, taking care of planting, weeding, and the flowers. Sometimes Bob and Josh simply walked along the railroad tracks to see where they would end up. By showing Joshua that his disability didn’t define him, Bob proved that Josh could end up as far as him dreams took him. After twelve years with Josh (the match officially closed in 2002), Bob wasn’t tired. Instead, he was inspired to keep volunteering. Currently, Bob is a Big Brother to Jamie. They first met on New Year’s Day 2003. A new year began a new match and plenty of fun to go along with it. With varying interests, Bob and Jamie take turns picking the activity for each outing. A recent choice was studio wrestling at Mellon Arena. In fact, Jamie named a wrestling character in one of his video games after Bob. Bob describes Jamie as, “Smart, with a great sense of humor [who] always seems to be in motion, even when he is sitting” With four years and counting, this match is sure to be non-stop fun.