Ryan Pinkall, Biology Assistant Professor; Lisa Jolliff, Coordinator Of Accessibility Services; Jack Hawver, Hutchinson; and Paul Cook, Andover, play Dutch Blitz at a Bigs game night in February.
Photos| Kaitlyn Seiwert Story & Design | Kira Crow
Eva Schwertfeger, Turon; Peyton; Jolliff; and Paula Urias, Madrid, Spain, smile for a picture at The Alley.
Schwertfeger and Jolliff laugh while playing Dutch Blitz at the HutchCC Bigs game night.
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Even on a college campus, there’s a need for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS). At Hutchinson Community College, members of this club are paired with youth in the local school system in a mentoring relationship. “Bigs” are the college students who are paired with a “Little” youth from the local elementary and middle school system in the Hutchinson and Reno County area. Big Brothers began in 1904 when a court clerk named Ernest Coulter saw an increasing number of boys come through his courtroom. He decided that he wanted to help these kids stay out of trouble, so he set out to find adult volunteers to be good influences on the kids. This was the beginning of the Big Brothers movement. In 1970, Big Sisters was incorporated. Shortly after, in 1977, the two clubs merged to form the BBBS of America. Today, there are over 300 agencies in all 50 states and 12 countries. BBBS has served nearly two million youth just within this past decade. HutchCC is proud to be a part of the Bigs Movement. Twice a month, there are meetings where the Bigs and Littles at HutchCC get together and go do fun things in the community. In March, they had a bowling night at The Alley. Students can join this club at any time, they just need to contact club sponsor Lisa Jolliff who also serves
as the Coordinator of Accessibility Services on campus. She has been a part of this club for five years. This year, there are around 25 college students in the club. As for her favorite thing about this club, Jolliff said, “seeing the connections from the Bigs and Littles, so seeing the college kids become mentors to little kids and seeing that relationship just build and blossom has been really fun to see. It’s just really been a lot of fun having those kids coming to our activities. But really just seeing the growth in both the Littles and the Bigs.” Jolliff was involved with Bigs prior to her time at HutchCC and thought that it would be an excellent club to have on campus, especially for the Leadership Scholars. This club has been very beneficial and the Bigs have a very positive impact on the Littles involved.
Morgan Miller, Hutchinson, and her Little, Peyton, pose while bowling at The Alley. The girls have been matched for almost two years.
| Dragon’s Tale | May 2022
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