Testimonials

Are you a little sister or a little brother who would like to share your story? Let us know!

Susan Handrich

Former Little Sister Susan Handrich considers herself very fortunate to be paired with Big Sister Cheryl Murray. The two started their match in 1979 when Susan was 11 years old, during what she called ''a very tough time.'' Thus began a friendship that has lasted for the past 25 years.

''She?s just a fabulous person and a sister to me,'' Susan says. ''She has always been there, whether it was at my family functions, when I had kids, or when there was a death in the family. And I've been there for her too. She's really important to me; she is the godparent of my oldest son.''

Susan needed a big sister when she was growing up. Her mother passed away when she was only 9 years old. She needed someone to keep her out of trouble and to talk to and confide in.

''I learned there are a lot of unselfish people willing to help others in the world,'' Susan says. ''Cheryl kept me focused, because there is a lot of trouble you can get into if you are a kid in a single-parent family. We could talk about anything, whether it be about growing up, boyfriends, or anything else. She was one more person to help me through life.''

Through their relationship, Susan says her confidence level increased because Cheryl was so supportive. Susan says she has a great family, but she just can't talk to her brothers about everything, or her dad. It was great to have another female and share confidences, she says.

''My Big Sister is an incredible asset to my life,'' Susan says.

Crissy Foellmi

''My parents were trying to find a way to bring me out of my shell and talk a little more,'' Crissy Foellmi says, explaining why she became a Little Sister. Although Crissy had two sisters and a brother, she didn't feel she could talk to anyone in her family. Her sisters were much older than her and married.

Crissy was matched at age 8 or 9 to a student named Paula. ''I trusted her. I felt like I could talk to her about anything,'' Crissy says. Crissy also remembers how Paula always had a huge smile on her face when she saw Crisssy. ''She was always happy to see me,'' Crissy says.

Crissy's relationship with Paula helped her learn to trust people. ''She would keep her word,'' Crissy says. ''Paula asked me what I wanted to do next time, and I said ice skating, and that's what we did.'' Crissy adds, ''I learned that people can be nice to you and to treat people as well as she treated me.''

In addition to ice skating at Vilas Lagoon, Crissy and Paula liked to simply play outside and go to movies. Many times, Paula helped Crissy with her homework. The two were matched for about one year until Paula graduated from college and moved away. ''She gave me a Raggedy Anne doll when she left that she made herself,'' Crissy remembers.

Now 36, Crissy is married with a 10-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. Since she benefited so much from her experience with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Crissy has recently put her son, Roscoe, on the waiting list to become a Little Brother. She hopes to reunite with her Big Sister someday. ''That would be really awesome if I could see her again,'' she says.

Brannon Holmes

Michael Carr and Brannon Holmes were matched for nine years, and Brannon still has fond memories of their time together.

''I remember going to County Stadium with Mike, Mike's brother and his brother's son,'' says Brannon. ''The Brewers were playing the White Sox. Chicago had Bo Jackson, and Bo was my idol at the time. So being able to see him was pretty memorable. It was a good experience.''

Brannon also remembers attending football games, meeting the players, and collecting baseball cards?an activity Mike got him into. He says the duo did things together all the way up through high school.

''I had no father figure or male role model,'' Brannon says. ''He gave me a positive image to look up to. I talked to him about things I wouldn't ask my mother about. It was helpful to get away once in a while and see the world positively. It showed me everything would be alright.''

The duo has had trouble finding time in their busy lives to keep in contact. Brannon works for the State of Wisconsin doing materials testing; he has worked for the state for four years and is consistently on the road. But he says he still thinks about Mike and their experiences being involved in BBBS of Dane County.

''It was great,'' Brannon says. ''I couldn't ask for anything more. It's good to have a positive influence in your life.''

Megan Ahlstrom

Little Sister Megan Ahlstrom and Big Sister Sue Tjugum had an awkward first meeting over a misunderstanding of culinary preferences. But after 16 years of feeding the ducks, baking holiday cookies and sharing pizza, Megan and Sue have found their relationship is just to their taste.

Megan says her favorite memory was feeding the ducks at Tenney Park, something she and Sue would do often.

The pair had plenty of other favorite activities, however ?going sledding, going shopping, watching movies, baking holiday cookies, bowling and going to Big Brothers Big Sisters parties, especially the annual pizza party, to name a few.

At one such pizza party Megan gave Sue her favorite memory. Certain Brother or Sister pairs who had been matched for a long time received commemorative plaques. Sue and Megan were one of the honored pairs. When asked if anyone wanted to say anything, the once-shy Megan surprised Sue and said she would.

''I thanked her for being there for me, like a sister and a friend, through a lot of ups and downs,'' Megan says. ''She really was there for me through some really difficult times. I?ve known her for what feels like most of my life.''

Sue attended Megan's high school graduation. Matches through Big Brothers Big Sisters officially end after high school, but Sue and Megan kept their relationship going.

Megan went to college at Sue's alma mater, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She says they kept in touch throughout college, talking about once a month and seeing each other every three months. Megan is now a high school special education teacher.

Megan now sees Sue every week when she babysits Sue's children, and the pair continue to stay in touch and be friends.

Heidi Latsch-Beicher

Although Heidi Latsch-Beicher participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters more than a decade ago, she still remembers watching pigs being born with her Big Sister, Sue Zigler. ''That was pretty awesome. That would have to be my highlight. I had never seen anything being born before,'' Heidi says.

Heidi grew up in Verona, so exploring the farm her Big Sister grew up on was a first for her. Sue took Heidi to three different farms?her parents', her brother's and her sister's.

Heidi's mother encouraged her to participate in Big Brothers Big Sisters. Holding a full-time and part-time job, she raised Heidi by herself. ''I had a lot of teenage problems, and my dad was never around,'' Heidi says. She happily agreed to become a Little Sister. ''I loved my experience having a Big Sister,'' she adds.

Heidi laughs when she mentions that Sue had her son one year after Heidi had her first child. Coincidentally, Sue named her baby Nicholas, which happens to be Heidi's husband's name. Today, Heidi is a homemaker with three children?7-year-old Hayley, 4-year-old Hayden and 1-year-old Holden. ''My kids are everything to me. I love being a homemaker,'' Heidi says. She also baby-sits kids from the neighborhood. She and her husband have been married almost six years. When her children are older, Heidi hopes to go to college to study nursing.

Heidi and Sue recently reunited, after five years, for a story on WISCTV. They looked through their photo album and watched a video of a BBBS talent show Heidi participated in, dressed as a California Raisin. The reunion brought floods of memories, laughs and tears.

Governor House

Former Little Brother Governor House describes his Big Brother, Ken Moen, as a positive person, a good man, and never negative. Ken presented a very positive image for Governor to aspire to.

Ken and Governor's match lasted for 10 years, ending in June of this year. The pairing started when Governor was 8 years old. Now that the match is over, Governor plans to go to Milwaukee Technical College to study criminal justice.

Governor says the two shared many fun times together, and that his whole experience is a good memory. He says he realized somebody besides a member of his family cared about him, and that this knowledge had a big impact upon him. He says he feels very fortunate he was paired with Ken, and that Ken has been a very important figure in Governor's life.

''I learned a lot from Ken,'' Governor says. ''I learned I could be a better person.''