Behind The Scenes: Match Stories of Impact

On a chilly Saturday morning in November 2021, our team met two incredible BBBSMT matches to film our 2021 Match Stories of Impact video. In this blog, we're giving you a behind-the-scenes look at our video shoot, and introducing you to the stars of the show: Katrina and CeAzia, and Bernard and Destin.

The Making of the match story

On a chilly Saturday in November 2021, two pairs of BBBSMT matches met our marketing team and a camera crew in East Nashville to capture a day in the life of their mentoring relationship. Every year, our team captures match stories for our annual breakfast. Match stories are our favorite part of the preparations for our breakfast, and this year’s video turned out to be extra special thanks to our creative directors and, most importantly, the incredible matches who were the stars of the show.

Meet Katrina and ceazia

First up was Big Sister Katrina and Little Sister CeAzia. They were slightly shy at first, but they found comfort in the presence of each other, and eventually they began to feel at ease and be themselves despite the professional cameras following them around. By the end of it, CeAzia loved the camera as much as it loved her.

Big Sister Katrina and Little Sister CeAzia were matched in June 2018. Katrina decided to become a Big Sister because, even though she doesn’t have children of her own, she wanted to have involvement with the next generation and become more engaged in the community. Watching CeAzia grow and develop has been one of the most rewarding things Katrina has experienced. When Katrina and CeAzia first met, CeAzia was only nine years old and now, four years later, she’s grown strides, not only in her height, but in her confidence, identity, and interests. These two also share a very similar sense of humor and are always teasing each other and laughing together.

CeAzia learned about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee one day when she saw an advertisement for the program on TV, and she told her grandmother that she wanted a Big Sister of her own. CeAzia can see the ways she’s grown since having Katrina in her life, but more than anything, she loves having someone to do new activities with and get advice from who is older and wiser. When her home life became unstable for a period of time, CeAzia confided in Katrina and relied on her as an outlet where she could openly discuss what she was going through.

After Katrina and CeAzia arrived and got their bearings on set, we drove over to a tennis court so that we could film them doing one of their favorite activities together. After playing some tennis, we picked up food at Koi Sushi and Thai and headed back to set. For the rest of our time together, we got to know Katrina and CeAzia on a deeper level and learn about all the ways their mentoring relationship enriches both of their lives. This is a special match, and we can’t wait to see them continue to grow together.

“My life has been more full because I have someone out of my family to hang out with and talk to besides my mom and my dad.” -Little Sister CeAzia

meet bernard and destin

Next up, Big Brother Bernard and Little Brother Destin arrived on set. Our entire team was immediately amazed at how in synch these two were from the get-go. Even though they had only been matched for less than two years at that point, it seemed as if Bernard and Destin grew up together.

Big Brother Bernard and Little Brother Destin were matched in October 2019, and they told us they immediately clicked with each other. Thanks to their shared interests in sports, music, and health sciences, they had plenty to talk about from the start. Now their conversations endlessly flow and cover everything from Destin’s career interests and hobbies to school and home life. Their bond is so evident that people often ask if they are bothers. Destin wanted a Big Brother because he didn’t have a family-like connection with someone older than him. When he was younger, Destin was in foster care for a period of time and some of his family moved far away from him, so having a mentor and brother figure he could look up to was really important to him.

Like Destin, Bernard didn’t have an older brother of his own, but he wanted the chance to pass down his experiences and share things he wished he knew going into college and beyond. When Bernard first met Destin, he could tell how mature he was for his age, but Bernard marvels at how much Destin has grown in the time he’s known him. Destin gives a lot of credit for his growth to Bernard and the various perspectives he’s been able to share with him. Destin is interested in a wide range of hobbies and career paths, and Bernard goes above and beyond to find people Destin can connect with who work in his areas of interest. Bernard and Destin truly enrich each other’s lives and live out the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee.

“He’s basically my big brother. That’s really what he is, even though we’re not by blood, it feels like we are.” -Little Brother Destin

that’s a wrap

We hope you enjoy getting to know these matches as much as we did. Watch the full Match Stories of Impact video below!

SHARE THIS STORY:

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on email
Email

follow US on social:


Facebook


Instagram


Twitter


Youtube

More Stories