More than 800 volunteers generously donate their time to mentor kids one-on-one with Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee.
In 2016, at least two volunteers went above the Big Brothers Big Sisters expectations. The non-profit honored Mallory Griffin with the Big Sister of the Year award and named Rich Brown with Big Brother of the Year.
The organization paired Mallory, 29, with Aniyah, 10, three years ago.
"I've seen her come out of her shell a little bit more with people. And that's been good to see. I have seen her learn how to always treat people nicely. Even though that's hard sometimes," Mallory said.
They've already been through a lot together.
"It's helped to have each other to talk to about it," she said.
Mallory is colon cancer survivor and a new mom. Even with so much on her plate, she still drives nearly every week from her home in Sevierville to Knoxville to spend time with Aniyah.
These are just a few of the reasons their counselor at Big Brothers Big Sisters decided Mallory deserved to be dominated for Big Sister of the Year.
"She has been so consistent," Laurie Stone said, "She's amazing, just phenomenal."
Aniyah learned Mallory would receive the award before her big sister.
"I was excited because I couldn't wait until that day," Aniyah said about the award.
Mallory is proud of the honor but she also says she didn't need any recognition. She just enjoys being Aniyah's big.
Rich Brown has been paired with his "little brother" Kadir for five years.
"The impact that this big has had on his little is exactly what Big Brothers Big Sisters is all about," BBBS Executive Director Doug Kose said.
When Kadir had to move away for a while to a different state, Rich was still consistent with phone calls of motivating words. Instead of closing the match after the move, Rich waited until his little returned back home to live with his mother again, and their relationship picked right back up like Kadir never moved away.
Not long ago, Kadir got into some trouble and was kicked off the high school basketball team as a junior. Knowing how much basketball meant to Kadir, Rich took the initiative to meet with the head coach to ask for him to have a second chance at playing ball. After a very intense discussion, the coach decided to give Kadir another opportunity to be a part of the team.
When asked of the little brother what he thought of his big brother, Kadir said, "He is family to me, and I'm thankful to have him in my life."
Rich is also a Board member on Big Brothers Big Sisters of East TN and has been the Fund Development Chair the past four years for the agency. Rich serves on numerous committees and is one of the biggest advocates of the agency.