Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas Announces 2014 Big Brother, Big Sister and Big Family of the Year

Each year Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas recognizes “Bigs” who have shown exceptional service to the agency and to their “Littles.”  This year the organization is proud to recognize Big Brother Karl Krotke, Big Sister Angela Pruitt, and the entire Luningham Big Family as our Bigs of the Year.  As mentors in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, these volunteers have dedicated their time to helping at-risk children in their community.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program matches children with adult volunteer mentors to create strong, one-to-one, professionally supervised relationships. Bigs commit to mentoring for at least one year and to meeting with their Littles at least twice a month.  Just spending time with a child on a consistent basis can change his or her life for the better, forever.

“We  are proud of our program and the positive impact in makes on our community. Children matched with a mentor in our program have higher self-esteem, are more likely to graduate from high school and can engage in positive social interactions,” says Enrollment Specialist, Kelly Gilbert.  “Our Bigs of the Year and other outstanding mentors in our program attribute to the positive impact on our children and our community.”

Bigs of the Year

The 2014 Big Brother, Big Sister and Big Family of the Year are Karl Krotke, Angela Pruitt and the Luningham family.

Karl Krotke began his journey with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas nearly five years ago when he enrolled in the program as a Big Brother. Karl has been a consistent role model for two Little Brothers. Karl’s current Little Brother (since April 2011), Blayne, recently stated that “all of his times with Karl” have been the proudest moments together.  They meet twice a month and participate in activities such as bowling, watching movies, playing games at Arkadia Retrocade, and attending sporting events. Blayne’s mother appreciates that Karl is always creative when thinking of ideas for outings. Since their time together, Karl has noticed that Blayne has become more mature, helpful around the house, and able to focus on single topics.  Not only has Karl been an exceptional Big Brother, he has been extremely supportive of the agency by serving on our Community Development Council, participating in fundraisers such as Bowl for Kids’ Sake and Celebrate Little Moments, and acting as advisor for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas Registered Student Organization at the University of Arkansas. Karl is being honored as Big Brother of the Year 2014 due to the continual positive impact he makes in the life of Blayne and his strong support of the agency.

Big Sister, Angela Pruitt, has been matched with her Little Sister, Leighann, for two years.  They quickly bonded over activities such as playing with Angela’s dog, having conversations during meals, baking, painting nails, and creating calendars and an activity idea box.  One of Leighann’s favorite activities was hiking at Devil’s Den. Angela remained dedicated to Leighan through a significant life change; the addition of her first child to her family. Leighann appreciates that Angela is “nice and always cares”.  She considers Angela to be a very good friend who is there for her when she feels as if there is no one else to talk to about her life.  Angela believes that Leighann has become more mature and relaxed since they met.  She values their friendship and the time they spend together. Angela has supported the agency by participating in Bowl for Kids’ Sake and Dollars for Doers through SC Johnson.  She is being honored as Big Sister of the Year 2014 due to her commitment to the agency and the quality of her relationship with Leighann.

Dax and Nan Luningham were feeling a need to get more involved in their community, so they reached out to Big Brothers Big Sisters. They liked the fact that it was something they could do as a whole family. The Luninghams, along with their two children, Ella and Rylan, became a Big Family in June of 2012. From the start, the Luninghams invited Little Brother David into their family life. If it were up to David, he’d spend all of his time with the Luninghams and always says he had a great time with them. David comes from a large family and just enjoys getting all the personal attention he can as a Little. Dax and Nan have participated in Bowl for Kids’ Sake and have brought David to multiple Big Brothers Big Sisters activities. It’s always fun to see how he fits right in with the active Ella and Rylan. It was an easy decision for us to choose the Luningham’s as our 2014 Big Family of the Year.

Want to be a part of something big? Contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas at 479.966.4366 or visit www.bbbsnwa.org for additional information.