Be There for All Things – Big and Small

Little Brother Ken says his friendship with Big Brother Casey Dial is effortless. The high school junior doesn’t need to fit a mold or be a particular kind of person in order to gel with his Big Brother. He gets to be himself. “That’s what’s great about being part of Big Brothers Big Sisters. People are going to like you for you,” Ken asserts.

Big Brother Casey, left, takes a break from fence building to pose for a picture with Little Brother Ken.

Ken and Casey were matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri more than a year ago. Since that time, the on-the-go duo have attended college basketball games, cheered on the home team at several Cardinals’ baseball games, gone to the movies, worked out, golfed, bowled and eaten lunch together on several occasions, to name a few of their activities. “We do all kinds of things based on time and availability,” Casey explains. “We go to lunch together quite a bit.”

Ken is a student at the Construction Careers Center (CCC) and Casey is a Project Engineer at S. M. Wilson & Co. Casey was recruited by a former peer at S. M. Wilson to consider the volunteer mentoring opportunity. S. M. Wilson has been a long-time advocate of the volunteer mentoring agency, supporting the organization financially and encouraging volunteers among its employee base.  After learning more about the agency, Casey says Big Brothers Big Sisters was a perfect fit.

“I like the idea of mentoring,” Casey says, adding, “It is nice to have someone be supportive of you and to offer you guidance and direction. That would have been nice in my life when I was growing up.”

Describing his experience as very enriching and rewarding, Casey acknowledges how powerful their friendship has become in Ken’s eyes. “For him to know that I will always be there is important. The experience is very humbling,” Casey shares.