2009 Big Brother of the Year

The 2009 Big Brother of the Year is Ben De Leon, an Austin, Texas attorney matched three years ago with now 10-year old Anthony. When Ben met a second grader for a short-term mentoring program through his church three years ago, he discovered that then 7-year-old Anthony had been waiting to be matched with a Big Brother. Impressed with how well they interacted, Anthony's grandmother put De Leon in contact with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas. She wanted to make the friendship official and ensure the mentoring relationship had the necessary support that would make it last.

"Ben has been a reliable, trusted and exciting addition to Anthony's life. They get together several times a month and enjoy visiting book stores, attending sports events, spending time at the lake, and various other activities," said Jeni Findley, Senior Match Support Specialist at the Central Texas agency.

Anthony lives with his grandmother and grandfather, who suffers from arthritis and is unable to enjoy many physical activities with the youngster. He says with his Big Brother, he's able to share sports activities, have someone to help him with homework and have a trusted adult to talk to about anything. Working with his match support specialist, De Leon makes sure Anthony's family has resources to give his Little Brother every opportunity to succeed.

"I am hopeful that I can continue to advance the organization's mission of getting more mentors, African-American and Hispanic males in particular, to step up and make a difference to so many deserving, at-risk youth who can benefit in so many ways from Big Brothers Big Sisters," said De Leon, who also supports Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas financially.

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