‘Grand’ Mentors

(11/4/15) - (Harrisonburg)VMRC resident Doris Bombarder (left), 84, helps Waterman Elementary School kindergartner Brody Williams (right), 5, cover classmate Gisele Butterfield, 5, in maple leaves while spending time outside the school Wednesday morning. The five VMRC residents have been in a Big Brothers Big Sisters program where they get paired with kindergartner as their GrandBigs.(Nikki Fox/Daily News-Record)

HARRISONBURG — At Waterman Elementary School, five Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community residents waited to start coloring and building with Play-Doh Wednesday morning.

They were meeting their kindergarten “littles” for the new GrandBigs program, launched by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Harrisonburg-Rockingham County this year.
Photo: Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community resident Doris Bombarder (left), 84, helps Waterman Elementary School kindergartner Brody Williams (right), 5, cover classmate Gisele Satterfield, 5, in maple leaves while spending time outside the school Wednesday morning. Five VMRC residents have been in a Big Brothers Big Sisters program where they get paired with kindergartners as “GrandBigs.” (Photos by Nikki Fox)

GrandBigs is an intergenerational opportunity that mimics Big Brothers Big Sisters’ regular mentoring program. VMRC residents started coming to Waterman in October to visit with the children and will return every other week.

All five “bigs” have grandchildren of their own. They joined Big Brothers Big Sisters because they like spending time with young children and wanted to be more involved with the community, said Rebeca Barge, the nonprofit’s director of programs.

“They’re spending an hour with the child. They’re doing some reading, different kinds of games, having lunch and developing relationships,” said Sue Totty, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

On Wednesday, the seniors made their weekly visit to the school for an hour with their littles.
Sandra Holcomb, 75, is paired with Brody Williams, 5. With 45 years’ experience as a teacher, Holcomb said she knew how to act and work with children.

“He’s very friendly, outgoing,” Holcomb said of her little. “He likes to do math things.”
Photo: VMRC resident Gina Baxter (right), 63, makes a clock with Waterman Elementary School kindergartner Logan Trumbo, 5.

After Brody finished his lunch, Holcomb read him a book and colored a picture frame with him. Then they turned their chairs around and played with Janvier Smith, 5, and her big, Carolyn Nowlin, 76.

Nowlin said that her daughter teaches at W.H. Keister Elementary School and often tells her how much the area’s schools appreciate volunteers. So far, Nowlin and Janvier have built Lego structures and played outside.

“She’s a climber,” Nowlin said of the kindergartner.

Logan Trumbo, 5, also likes playing outside, as his big, Gina Baxter, found out. The children were so fascinated by her powered wheelchair that they had a race one week.

“I have definitely determined that all 5-year-olds can outrun this wheelchair,” the 63-year-old Baxter noted.
Photo: VMRC resident Doris Bombarder (left), 84, plays with kindergartners Brody Williams (right) and Gisele Sattterfield on Wednesday morning.

 

She spent Wednesday’s visit eating lunch with Logan and showing him how to tell time with a paper clock.

“He likes cheese and he likes Oreos, but he does not like fruit. So they asked me to work on that,” Baxter said as she encouraged her little to eat a grape.

He stalled, saying that his lunch was too big and “it takes a long time to eat all this.”

The GrandBig program is dependent upon participation, so Barge said that as long as enough volunteers express interest, it could expand next year. VMRC provides transportation and interviews volunteers along with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

For information on volunteering with the nonprofit, call 433-8886 or go to www.bbbshr.org.

Contact Amelia Brust at 574-6293 or [email protected]

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