The pair were matched in 2019 when Rudy was eight years old.

Little Rudy is an outgoing, extremely intelligent, inquisitive and sensitive child who lives with his twin brother, older brother and mom. His mom is a single parent whose anxiety prevents her from leaving the house so the kids spent their early years very socially isolated. Rudy struggled with self-confidence, didn’t have many friends, and was unsure of his ability to take on new challenges. His father was not in the picture and he didn’t have any positive male role models to look up to, so his mom thought this program would be the perfect fit for him. 

"BBBS has given me one of the most meaningful connections in my life and a great role model who I am very thankful for. I would like to be like Andrew when I grow up." - Little Brother Rudy

In 2019 when Little Rudy met Big Andrew for the first time, he was anxious to share all he knew about Greek mythology with Andrew. His Big Brother patiently listened to Rudy excitedly talk about the subject and then was able to persuade his new Little to switch gears and do an experiment with him involving making a rocket out of a soda bottle and Mentos.

After that meeting, Andrew bought himself a book about Greek mythology to brush up on the facts just so he could converse with Rudy about his passion. That fact alone shows the level of caring and compassion Andrew is bringing to their friendship. Over the course of their match, Rudy and Andrew have worked together on setting achievable goals, building his confidence, and developing new skills. 

Andrew has encouraged him to embrace challenges and step out of his comfort zone, and has seen him grow into someone who believes in himself and takes initiative. Together, Rudy has found the confidence to learn to ride a bike, try new foods, join the football team and feel comfortable being uncomfortable.