Little Brother Arual and Big Brother Jacob playing checkers
Jacob Gersh, a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County, just won the state-wide title, “California’s Big Brother of the Year.” Gersh, of Paso Robles, was nominated by his 13-year old “Little Brother,” Arual, of San Miguel. They were matched in March of 2015.
Gersh was recognized for the positive impact he’s had in Arual’s life, and in the community as a whole. After nearly 2 years of mentorship, Arual is a model of academic and personal success. He is on-track to achieve his long-term goals of becoming a chef and/or getting a degree in engineering.
Gersh also supports families throughout the county by publicizing the program and recruiting volunteers. He has participated in newspaper and TV news interviews, public service announcements and in-person presentations both with and without his “Little Brother.”
Little Brother Arual and Big Brother Jacob being interviewed for a local news story
Gersh’s efforts helped Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County to serve more children in 2016 than in any other year, since opening its doors in 1995. This is the fourth time our local agency has earned a similar title in as many years, with three state-wide “Big of the Year” titles between 2014 and 2017, and the nation-wide “Agency of the Year” award in 2016.
Pictured from left to right, Little Brother Arual and Big Brother Jacob (1) playing checkers, (2) being interviewed for a local news story.
Big Brothers Big Sisters:
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children they serve are in single-parent, low-income families or in households where a parent is incarcerated. As a part of the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, they make meaningful, monitored friendships between adult volunteers and children. Funding provides for a system of ongoing evaluation and support that is proven by independent studies to help families by improving the odds that participating children will perform better in school, avoid violence and illegal activities, and have stronger relationships with their parents and others. For more information on volunteering or contributing to Big Brothers Big Sisters, call 805-781-3226.