October 2026 Hello Friend! My husband, Kevin, and I recently returned from an eight-day trip to the Southwest. We started in Phoenix and toured and explored our way north through some incredible canyon country. I’ve wanted to see the Grand Canyon ever since the Brady Bunch visited it back in 1971! The scenery was amazing. Every day taught us something new about the land, its history and the people who have called it home, along with providing more spectacular views than I could have imagined. But what stayed with me most wasn’t the landscape or the vistas. It was a lesson about people. Lee and Eric Hurd hosted the trip through Bursch Travel. Both are Bigs and Lee recently served on the BBBS of Central Minnesota Board of Directors. I have known the Hurds for a very long time. Years ago, when Lee began her career in the travel industry, she challenged herself to help people step outside their familiar and comfortable surroundings—to experience diverse cultures, climates, people and customs. Her overall goal, then and now, is simple: to expand someone’s world and positively affect people by spreading kindness and celebrating humanity. That really got me thinking about what we do at Big Brothers Big Sisters. Mentoring is, in many ways, an invitation to step outside what is familiar. A Big might find themselves in a match where their Little’s family looks different from their own. They may learn about another culture, try a food they’ve never eaten, see the world through a different generation’s eyes, or simply discover that someone who seems very different on the surface has many of the same hopes, worries, quirks and dreams. And the opposite is true, too. A young person gets to know an adult who may have a different background, career, family experience or perspective than they have encountered before. So what? Because when we take the time to really know someone instead of making assumptions about them, something changes. In fact, that may be the only way change begins. We become a little more understanding. A little more patient. A little more willing to listen. And, I hope, a little more kind. That is one of the beautiful things about mentoring. It isn’t only about helping a young person succeed in school or reaching a goal. It is about building a relationship with another human being. And relationships are one of the best ways to expand our world. This is also why I am so grateful to you. You choose to support Big Brothers Big Sisters because you care about young people—even young people whose lives may look very different from your own. You are willing to invest in people you may never meet, simply because you believe every young person deserves someone in their corner. Thank you for being kind, generous and caring about people who may be different from you. Thank you for helping create opportunities for people to step outside what is familiar and discover what can happen when we take the time to really get to know one another. That is the biggest lesson from my trip: We don’t have to travel thousands of miles to experience a different world. Sometimes, we simply need to be willing to sit across the table from someone we don’t yet know. And that’s a pretty good reason to keep showing up. Thank you for helping us make a difference, one relationship at a time. Sending my best, Jackie Scholl Johnson, Executive Director at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota | 
