This is the last chance....

Tonight I spent a couple hours with 20 some teen/preteen girls painting nails, doing hair and putting on temporary tattoos - and the best part was High School Musical 3!!!
That's right - tonight my "little" and I attended a fun filled evening of girlie stuff.
I've been matched with my "little sister" Nina for about the past month and a half. This was our second outing and we had lots of fun.
Not to mention the fact that I got to watch High School Musical 3 and felt better about it because it was "for the kids." haha I'm a closet HSM fan and secretly wish I was one of them. I wish I got to sing and dance like that all over high school! Those years would have been SO much better. lol
In any case, things have been going well with my match. She is 12 years old, going on 18. It's kinda crazy because she is 12 yet she is taller than me. haha I guess I never had that growth spirt. She also looks about 16, which to me isn't the greatest thing for a young woman. Either way - she is a very nice girl, but definitely in need of a mentor type person, which I guess would be me. She comes from a different kind of home - including having a father who is in prison. She also lives in a pretty bad neighborhood. And to tell you the truth, I am actually nervous being at her house and in her neighborhood at night. I'm pretty sure she isn't comfortable either because she always wants me to walk her to the door and its not far from where the car is parked. She is a tough girl who has been through a lot but she is very sweet. She can be very shy at times, but other times I can tell she wants to open up to me and talk about things more, which I like. I think every kid should have an adult like that who they can talk to about anything - things they don't feel comfortable talking to their parents about.
We are still getting to know each other - so I'm sure the comfort level will ease up and things will be more fluid.
I'm still really happy that I decided to become involved in this program. Not only am I (or at least I hope I) am making a difference in a young person's life - which is the most important part - but selfishly, I'm happy about it because it continues to give me perspective on so many things. There are so many people in need of help right here in our community that most of us don't realize it because we just don't see it. Yet, it is all around us. There are so many disparities and so many differences in communities and ethnicities and economic backgrounds.
Here is an example of this: Tonight at the HSM party - the room was full of white woman as Bigs and 90% of the littles were african american. This is in no way a racist comment - just a reality in our community of unfortunate circumstances. But it is so nice and hopefully to see a room full of committed women who take time out of their busy lives to be a mentor and give back.
I definitely have to hand it to the BBBS organization for all that they do and how committed they are to making this program a success. They plan SO many different events, mostly free of charge, that are fun for bigs and littles alike. It helps to have events and ideas of keeping the mentor/mentee relationship fresh and exciting. The worst thing is the idea of people going through the program and then once the novelty wears off and they actually have to start doing and planning things - they are over it. The events are wonderful! I can't wait for our pizza party next week! Woohoo!

I encourage all of you to do whatever you are able to do to give back. And if any of you are interested in being a part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization...please let me know and I'll hook you up!
Here is their website if you're interested in learning more...
BBBS

PS: I have a massive crush on Zac Efron - guilty as charged.