Big Brothers, Big Sisters recognizes volunteers tonight

Every week, IU sophomore Chris McGaha finds a bit of magic in 11-year-old Matt's smile when they meet at Bloomington's Boys and Girls Club. \nMcGaha, 20, is Matt's "big" through South Central Indiana's Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, a program that establishes mentoring relationships between children ages 6 to 17 and adult volunteers in Monroe and Owen counties. He will be honored tonight at 6:30 p.m. with other outstanding BBBS volunteers at the organization's annual volunteer appreciation event, "Magic of the Match," in Bloomington Convention Center, 302 S. College Ave, in the Olcott Room. \nTonight's appreciation event will honor 11 volunteers from several different mentoring programs BBBS makes available. Top fund-raisers for Bowl for Kids' Sake and other community service volunteers will also receive awards.\nCase Manager Jan Hagemeyer chose McGaha as Club Big of the Year after watching his mentoring transform Matt's attitude. She matched the "brothers" six months ago, when Matt was too shy to look at her. Now the two can't wait to tell Hagemeyer what they've been up to.\n"You could just visually see (Matt) blossom over a period of time," she said.\nTonight is all about those transformations.\n"I think a lot of people know what we do but don't get to hear those special stories," said Liz Grenat, executive director for BBBS of South Central Indiana.\nAs volunteers accept their awards, they will share their own stories with the nearly 200 staff, volunteers, children and family members who attend the event. Special guest Karen Herbert, wife of IU President Adam Herbert, also will attend.\nIU football coach Terry Hoeppner was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the event but canceled because of a family emergency.\nAndrea Smith, chosen as BBBS' IU student volunteer of the year, said she looks forward to spending the time with her "little," Kindra, and being with other matches to see them share her enthusiasm.\n"We've definitely grown so much together," Smith said. "We have a lot of fun. I kind of get to relive my childhood through her." \nSmith has developed a strong relationship with Kindra since their first meeting in September 2003, and she hopes to share tonight how much that relationship means to her.\nIU students make up about half of South Central Indiana's BBBS volunteers, Grenat said. \nHagemeyer works closely with club and community matches, most of whom are students.\n"I'm so impressed with the maturity and dependability of the IU students," she said. "I wish I could honor all of them."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Jessica Wolfe at jelwolfe@indiana.edu.