December 2006
Kelly Fitzgerald Makes a Positive Impact
Kelly Fitzgerald, Grafton, a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass/Metrowest and her Little Sister Bethany, 11, were among more than 100 pairs of "Bigs" and "Littles" who celebrated the start of the holiday season recently at a party hosted by the agency.
The children selected presents for their parents from tables of donated gifts, made holiday crafts with their Big Brother or Sister, watched dance and karate demonstrations. by the Charlotte Klein dancers of Worcester and McCoy Action Karate and ate pizza and snacks. There was also a raffle for bikes donated by employees of Fedex.
Fitzgerald, a portfolio manager with Bank of America, has been matched with Bethany for two and a half years. Most weeks when they get together you'll find the pair outside or at a sporting event.
"We both like sports-everything from roller skating to going to hockey, football and basketball games," Fitzgerald said. "We've gone hiking and bowling and to the movies."
Although they always have fun, the Big Sister takes seriously her role as a mentor. "I always stress the importance of education," Fitzgerald said. "Bethany knows the first thing I ask about is school-how are you doing?"
One day they were driving through a neighborhood of large houses and Bethany asked, "How do people afford to live in these houses?"
"It was a perfect introduction to my telling her about the importance of getting a good education so you can get a good job and afford to buy a nice house," Fitzgerald said. "I love that I can make a positive impact on her life."