I contacted Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami in August 1996 to express my interest in becoming a volunteer. My initial interest was in becoming a school based volunteer but the representative that I spoke to explained that as a Black male I was the least represented among Community based volunteers. I agreed to participate in the Community program and was matched shortly thereafter to a seven year old child. My match lasted eleven years and that seven year old boy is now twenty three years old, is a U.S. Army veteran and presently is pursuing a Nursing Degree. I was fortunate enough to be named Big Brother of The Year in 1998, which is the greatest individual honor that I have ever received. Big Brothers Big Sisters allowed me the opportunity to enter the life a young child who needed a friend, and thanks to their professional guidance and the variety of activities that are available for the matches, I was able to build relationships with many other volunteers. I was also able to watch young people who were not supposed to succeed become college graduates.