By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
A Decatur woman was recently honored by the Northeast Indiana Big Brothers Big Sisters organization based in Fort Wayne.
Sandy Brown was one of five recipients of annual awards given out by the BB/BS organization at its recent Volunteer Recognition dinner.
She was selected for the School Buddy of the Year honor.
Brown, who is court administrator for Adams Circuit Court, was on court duty as the time of the banquet. The organization thought so much of her that it dispatched a representative to the court to hand-deliver Brown’s award to her – and live-streamed the presentation to the banquet crowd.
BB/BS posted the following: “Big Sister Sandra and her Little Sister Tempi are from Adams County. Tempi’s most asked question at school is always: ‘When am I going to see my lunch buddy next?’
“Whenever Tempi needs someone to talk to, her School Buddy Sandra is just the person she is looking for to lend a listening ear and a piece of comforting advice. And Sandra is a great mentor, always setting boundaries and guiding her Little on how to make wise choices.
“But their story doesn’t end with graduation from School Buddies. Sandra and Tempi are excited to continue their 2.5 years of friendship past the school walls, having transitioned to Community-Based.”
The traditional buddy program pairs children with adult mentors, called “Bigs”, for a few hours, two to three times a month. Matches are based on shared interests, personality, and geography.
The other recipients: Big Brother of the Year, Chase Lockwood; Big Sister of the Year: Alma Jimenez; Big Couple of the Year: Nick & Alyssa Utter.
The organization said of the five volunteers: “Igniting the potential of youth and, in turn, making our communities a better place would not be possible without the dedication of these extraordinary people. The 5 volunteers embraced their role as mentor and friend with particular vigor and who demonstrated the impactful results to prove it…”
Sandy and her husband, Kevin, are residents of Decatur.
She is an officer in the local SAFE (Supporting All Families Everyday) organization, which works to prevent child abuse & neglect by strengthening families and educating the community, creating a healthy, happy environment for children to grow.
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