Big Blog

Big Brother Brian and Little Brother Dylan have been matched since 2023. While Brian has consistently shown up for Dylan through all of life’s big and little moments, Dylan recently had the chance to show up for Brian during a special milestone in Brian’s military career.

Parents can also benefit from the impact of mentorship

Big Brother Jonathan has been a mentor for nearly two decades in Austin, Texas—and he’s also the owner of Float District in La Vista. Even while traveling between both cities, he continues to show up and make a meaningful impact.

When Tim Guthrie, now a professor at Creighton University, signed up to be a Big Brother in 1987, he thought he was volunteering for a year. Nearly four decades later, he and his Little Brother, Max Robinson, are still in touch, a testament to the life-changing power of mentorship through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands (BBBSM).

Meet our newest BBBS Midlands staff! We’re so glad they’re here and ready to make a difference.

Thee Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) announced awards to 16 youth mentoring organizations through the READ Nebraska Program for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Jazmin is a senior in our MentorU program and has been matched with her mentor, Jen, for more than two years! Get to know Jazmin in our latest Big Blog!

Get to know the newest staff at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands!

Meet the newest BBBS staff members!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands (BBBSM) is thrilled to announce that they have been honored with the prestigious 2023 Mid-Large Agency of the Year award at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) National Conference held in Dallas, Texas.

As we gear up for another school year, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the generous businesses and individuals who have made our back-to-school supply drive a tremendous success.

July 24th is International Self-Care Day! Self-care is crucial to living a healthy life, and it can be as simple as setting aside time for yourself amidst a busy schedule. Check out some activities that you can use to practice self-care, both for yourself and within your current mentor/mentee relationship in this week's Big Blog!

Say hello to the newest Big Brothers Big Sisters staff members!

Check out today's National Volunteer Week spotlight! We're beyond grateful to have Hannah and her father, Jim, as MentorU mentors!

Today we are featuring Big Sister Kahyra in our National Volunteer Week spotlight!

Meet the newest staff members of BBBS!

Check out today's National Volunteer Week feature! Meet Big Brother Dan and Little Brother Anthony!

It's National Volunteer Week! Today, we're celebrating Big Sister Maritza!

February is Black History Month! Join us as we honor, celebrate and commemorate the achievements and contributions of African American people throughout U.S. history.

With the combination of BBBS Lincoln and BBBSM underway, we would like to introduce the dedicated staff members of BBBS Lincoln. Additionally, we are excited to welcome two new staff members to BBBSM.

Kaylee, a former Little Sister, talks about her experience being enrolled in our Community-Based Mentoring program and how her Big Sister impacted her.

BBBSM has the best mentors! They take time out of their busy lives to connect and create strong, lasting relationships with youth here in our community. Thank you to the hundreds of dedicated and caring mentors who make a big impact every day.

We want to give a special shout-out to those mentors who helped grow the BBBS mission beyond their match. Our mentors step up in many ways throughout the year. Whether posing for professional photos or speaking at an event, we couldn’t be more grateful for your help in the success of our mission.

Happy New Year! The start of a new year gives us an opportunity to reflect, set new goals and adopt resolutions. Check out this Big Blog for some of our staff members' resolutions!

We are excited to announce that Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands is combining with Big Brothers Big Sisters Lincoln. Please read the media release here.

November is Native American Heritage Month! Join us as we honor the remarkable traditions, history, languages, and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities.

Big Brother Brian and Little Brother Dylan have been matched since 2023. While Brian has consistently shown up for Dylan through all of life’s big and little moments, Dylan recently had the chance to show up for Brian during a special milestone in Brian’s military career.

Thee Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) announced awards to 16 youth mentoring organizations through the READ Nebraska Program for the 2025-2026 academic year.

A little over a year ago, I decided to become a Big for BBBS Lincoln (a decision that I consider to be one of the best of my life). I signed up for the program and within a month I was matched with Jeremiah, an 11-year-old who was in the program because he was on diversion for stealing a bike with his friend.

My name is Kaylee, and I am a Big to a fifth grader named Payton! We have been matched for about two and half years now. Payton and I like to do a lot of fun things together! Some of our favorite things include baking, going to the movies, having picnics at Holmes Lake, and going to get ice cream!

"Kids may or may not be the product of their environment. But they are most definitely the product of their expectations."

As I arrived at Zion’s front door per our regular routine, I wasn’t surprised to see his tablet in his hands. He’s always playing with his iPod or pulling something up on his school tablet. I would normally chat with Charlene, his grandmother, for a moment, but she was in bed, so I waited outside as he shut the front door followed me out to the car with the tablet. He said, “here… read this.” 

My name is Max Wesely and I am Big to Sylas through Big Brothers Big Sisters Lincoln. My entire life I have lived in Lincoln, Nebraska and currently work for Nanonation and have been a member of the BBBSL Board of Directors for close to 4 years now. BBBSL has always been a part of my life starting from my mom being a Big to Bobby when she was in college to me being a Little to Jim years ago when I was in grade school.

"For almost half of my 20 years being employed with the BBBS Lincoln program, I was matched with Erica. We were matched from October 2006 to June 2016. We started when Erica was at the end of elementary school and continued on until she graduated high school.

With the combination of BBBS Lincoln and BBBSM underway, we would like to introduce the dedicated staff members of BBBS Lincoln. Additionally, we are excited to welcome two new staff members to BBBSM.

We are excited to announce that Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands is combining with Big Brothers Big Sisters Lincoln. Please read the media release here.

During this fall of 2022, the LUX Center for the Arts has kindly provided free and engaging art classes to matches at BBBS Lincoln. These matches dove into various artistic mediums, including sculpting, painting, and more!

He ensures our program runs smoothly and supports our fantastic team! This Team Highlight shares more about our Executive Director, Shawn Ryba!

Big Brothers Big Sisters has many working parts behind the scenes, and she's here to learn about it all! This Team Highlight is happy to introduce our Program Intern, Madilynn Piro!

When it comes to BBBSA's Standards of Practice, someone has to make sure our program is in tip-top shape! Check out this Team Highlight to learn about Laura Matthias, BBBS Lincoln's Program Director.

Bigs and Littles have to start somewhere! Jalin Gerdes tells us about herself and her role as Enrollment and Match Coordinator.

What is Match Support? Melissa Neater gives us the lowdown on her role as Match Support Specialist and shares a bit about herself too!

Here is a highlight of Kyle Bishop, BBBSL's Recruitment and Event Coordinator!