Big’s Name: Danielle “Nelly” Rivera
Little’s Name: Jasmine
Time matched with Little: 10 Years
When Jasmine was first matched with Nelly, she was a little girl whose parents were going through a divorce. Stephanie, Jasmine’s mom, enrolled her in the program because she wanted someone outside the home who could be a positive person in Jasmine’s life. Little did she know that it would be the start of a life-long relationship, not only between Jasmine and Nelly, but with Nelly and the entire family.
“Nelly has been a blessing to our family,” remarks Stephanie. “She has a relationship with everyone in our family – me, my son, my husband, even my parents. She is truly a part of our family.”
Today, Jasmine is a thriving teenager who is living up to her full potential. According to Nelly, “Jasmine is a young woman who is mature for her age. She is driven in school and is working hard to save money to buy herself a car. I wasn’t thinking like that at her age.”
While Nelly considers herself an influential person in Jasmine’s life, she is also quick to point out that Stephanie is a great mom. Nelly is very impressed with the relationship between Stephanie and Jasmine, and believes it is primarily the reason that Jasmine is remarkable young woman. She also observes that good communication between her and Stephanie, especially in the early years, helped the match relationship thrive.
Jasmine is also grateful to have awesome women in her life. “I look forward to getting together with Nelly. We don’t have as much time as we used to, but she is my sister and will always be there for me.”
Congratulations, Danielle Rivera! Thank you for being a great Big Sister.