Coinciding with National Mentoring Month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County is celebrating a milestone of matching its 1600th local child with a mentor, since opening in 1995. Six-year-old Ethan looks forward to exploring local hiking trails, visiting county museums and learning about dinosaurs with his new Big Brother, Ken Frye. Ken says, “Making difference in these kids’ lives is one of the most important things we can do.” Indeed, Ethan and the 1,599 other children who have participated in the program are more likely to graduate, less likely to use violence and better equipped to become positive contributors in our community, because of the valuable developmental assets that are gained through spending one-to-one time with a positive role-model. Every “Big” in SLO County can be proud of his or her part in this achievement.