Patrick Ferrell ’93

Swede Spotlight by Jill Fishburn

After graduating from Bethany College with a History & Political Science degree, Patrick “Pat” Ferrell ’93 moved to a new city to start his career. He was looking for a way to connect in the community and decided to look into Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. He was assigned a little brother and volunteered in this capacity until he moved to Illinois. While working at RLI Insurance in Peoria, Ill., his employer launched a corporate partnership with Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters. One program was the Lunch Buddy program which partnered with a local school where “bigs” were paired with “littles” and interacted during lunch and on the playground. Pat reluctantly signed up, “I was concerned I didn’t have time to mentor others while I was busy with my career, and I felt guilty taking time away from my son.” Pat and his “little” were a great match, and soon transitioned to the community-based program. He quickly realized that there is always time for the important things in life. After years of service, in 2013, he was awarded the Heart of Illinois Big Brother of the Year and Illinois Big Brother of the Year. Later that summer, from hundreds of submissions representing 340 agencies across the country, he was value of giving back to your community.

“At one point, while I was a student at Bethany, I went through a rough time, and I remember I was hesitant to talk to anyone about it. But when I went to Coach [Ted] Kessinger, I was encouraged to take the time to care for myself. I will never forget the care and grace I was offered. I was fortunate to have mentors in my life like Coach Kessinger.” awarded the National Big Brother of the Year. He has also served two terms on the Board of Directors. He is positioned to serve his second term as Board President and was matched with his third “little.”

Pat grew up in Topeka and credits his parents for showing him the

Pat felt inspired by how others had helped him in the past and felt encouraged when he saw his “little brothers” improve and excel in all areas of their lives. He said, “My life has been enriched by the relationships with my little brothers, not just in our oneon-one activities but also in how they have become a part of my family. I have gotten as much from them as I have given. It’s very rewarding.”