[vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][fwp-anim-text animated=”true” animation=”enter right move 10px over 1s after”]Soccer, volleyball, baseball, tug-o-war, cornhole, a water balloon toss and more—it was all enjoyed by hundreds of matches at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County’s annual Sports Day at Mile Square Regional Park. Sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, Sports Day is the agency’s largest match event and promotes healthy habits like staying active.
For Big Sister Angie and Little Sister Ximena, Sports Day also meant a BIG accomplishment for the match:
“When we got to Sports Day, we got our wristbands for the group bike ride and were in the first group. We rushed over right away and she (Little Sister Ximena) selected one of the single bikes. As I was putting a helmet on her, she said that she didn’t know how to ride a bike without the training wheels.
I asked if she wanted to try the four-person bikes instead, but she was determined to try. The bike was a little too tall for her so she had trouble getting on the bike. We had lots of fall-overs, but she kept getting up! It was magical to watch her persistence.
They gave us a route to follow and it started with me holding the bike and she learned how to use leverage from the curb to get up. We were in the back of the group; along the way, she would fall over, but learned how to balance.
It was absolutely amazing. It was symbolic of the disadvantages she may have in her life, but I kept saying words of encouragement to her. At the end, I told her, ‘Look what you accomplished!’
She blew me away. She wanted to ride bikes the whole day. … On the way home, she asked if we could go bike riding again. So for our next outing, we went to Newport Beach to ride bikes. She was a little nervous with the cars and crowds there—since Sports Day was at Mile Square park—but she was so confident!
It was the first time being able to really teach her something and see her grow. … It was so special for me to be part of that memory for her.”
-Big Sister Angie
Mentoring Little Sister Ximena since March 2016
Way to go, Big Sister Angie and Little Sister Ximena! And thank you to UnitedHealthcare, Wheel Fun Rentals and Wahoo’s for making Sports Day possible![/fwp-anim-text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1469808241216{background-color: #dddddd !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3457″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1469808223881{background-color: # !important;}”][fwp-anim-text animated=”true” animation=”enter right move 10px over 1s after”]
“Since day one, Big Sister Angie has been driven to inspire confidence and adventure for Little Sister Ximena. With only 5 months together, Ximena has been able to experience many ‘firsts’ and demonstrates how she is being influenced by her Big Sister’s outgoing and positive character!”
-Maricela Vargas, Match Support Specialist
You too can make a difference in the life of a child by becoming a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sign up today at ocbigs.org/volunteer.
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