Recognition
Big Brothers Big Sisters Match
of the Month
RK Rice and Tanner
By Susan M. Jaqua
January 12, 2010
Tuesday
Ketchikan, Alaska - When I spoke to RK Rice about his match with
his Little Brother, Tanner, he described a recent outing at Ward
Lake. "It was an idyllic day; there were eagles flying and
squirrels and all sorts of things to watch and both of us were
just grateful for the time." When I asked Tanner about the
day, he had a different perspective. "RK was running all
over the place turning over stumps and looking under mushrooms
for bugs and grubs. He found some; they were so disgusting, but
then he showed me how to feed the fish with them. That was sort
of interesting, but those bugs were just icky."
Big Brother RK Rice
with his Little Brother Tanner
Photo courtesy Big Brothers Big Sisters
From day one, it seems like this pair were destined to be a match.
When Big Brother RK Rice and his Little Brother, Tanner were
matched in April of this year, it quickly became evident that
this match was meant to be. Tanner and RK are both swimmers;
RK is in the Master Swim Program and Tanner is a member of the
Killer Whales; the pair live right across the creek from one
another and Little Brother Tanner often crosses the creek to
drop in on his Big Brother. But the most amazing thing
Tanner's grandmother, Mel1anie Isner, makes her grandson pumpkin
pie all the time because "it's his favorite." Neither
of them knew it was RK's favorite until he celebrated his birthday
recently and out came a pumpkin pie in lieu of a birthday cake!
Tanner has learned how to do 'regular guy things' with RK's help
and support. They've worked on fixing Tanner's bike, gone fishing,
hung out just doing stuff guys do. RK enjoys being a Big Brother.
As he so aptly said, "It is a two way street; I get to see
the world through a child's eyes again and it also keeps me from
being a stodgy old fella." Tanner is appreciative of his
Big Brother as well. He said of RK, "He's a person you can
talk to and learn from."
Take your cue from RK and Tanner;
add some spice to your life make a difference in your life
and the life of a child become a Big Sister or a Big Brother.
On the Web:
Match of the Month
Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Alaska
http://www.southeastbigs.org/
Publish A Letter on SitNews Read Letters/Opinions
Submit
A Letter to the Editor
SitNews
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska
|