COLUMBUS, Neb (KMTV) — Aimee Heesacker has spent more than a decade as a mentor and organizer for Big Pals Little Pals of Columbus.
In her 14 years with the organization she has seen the difference that having a Big pal can make in a kids life.
“We have a young girl that, she was living with her father, her moms not in the picture…her father wasn’t feeling good one night, the next morning she was trying to wake him up. He passed away had a heart attack in his sleep,” said Heesacker.
In the wake of that tragedy Aimee and Big Pals-Little Pals matched the girl with a mentor.
“They have been matched about 3 months now. Her grandmother, her teachers and other family members have all seen a positive change in her. She is smiling again, laughing again and having fun and looking forward to things now, ” said Heesacker.
Unfortunately for Big Pals-Little Pals the demand for mentors is high but the number of people volunteering isn’t keeping up.
“We have always had a waiting list. Ive been involved in the program for 14 years being on the board and a big pal myself we have always had a waiting list of children,” said Heesacker
This weekend Big Pals-Little is hoping a trip to a Winter Wonderland on Saturday will show off the good work they do and encourage more folks to consider being a big pal.
“They can see how everyone interacts and see how much joy there is in it,” said Dr. Ann Kramer, the vice-president elect for Big Pals-Little Pals.
Big Pals-Little Pals knows that volunteering to being a big pal is a big commitment, but they say the benefits, to the pals and the community, are easy to see.
“Columbus is a smaller community and we rely on each other to make this community successful. It starts with the children and it involves a lot of adults and mentors,” said Nicholas Petersen, President Elect of Big Pals-Little Pals.
If you are interested in being a mentor with big pals-little pals you can find more information by heading to their website, bigpals.org
