Every month, we feature a United Way Partner Agency’s client experience, demonstrating the impact that donations to United Way of Sheboygan County are making. This month’s client experience was submitted directly by Roxanne Akstulewicz, Lunch Buddy Coordinator at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sheboygan County, as part of their annual application for School-Based Mentoring program funding.

“Joe* has been a Lunch Buddy for 10 years. He had four previous Lunch Buddies. At the beginning of last school year, he was matched with Tommy*, who was then a second grade student. At the time they met, Tommy had just experienced the death of his father due to a tragic accident. Tommy’s mother remembers Joe was one of the first people that Tommy would talk to after his father's death. Joe became a critical sounding board for Tommy, helping him to understand and make sense of his father's passing.

Tommy and Joe spend one lunch hour together each week. They eat, play games, and run outdoors or in the gym. Joe’s consistent contact provided positive support while Tommy was grieving his family’s loss. 

As they began meeting again this school year, Tommy and Joe discovered a common interest in remote controlled vehicles. Recently, Joe learned that Tommy had a remote controlled car that looks similar to the sprint car Tommy’s dad drove. Unfortunately, the car was no longer working. Joe knew of a neighbor with expertise in fixing these cars, so he agreed to put the car back in working order. Joe believes the car will be a great way to help Tommy further deal with his father's death.

*Names have been changed.