Noah Huntrods was a shy kid with separation anxiety from his grandmother Tiffany Lynch, his primary custodian, when he first met the man who would become his Big Brother, Ryan O’Neal, three years ago, through the Parks and Recreation youth basketball league. Now, the duo is almost inseparable.

“We got to know each other a little bit, hit it off. He liked to tease me, so I got to know Tiffany a little bit through that and we kind of decided (that) maybe it would be good to go a little further,” said O’Neal, whose full time job is serving as a juvenile court liaison at Miller Middle School.

The bond between the two is one of many facilitated by Heart of Iowa Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) (Carroll estimated about 107 currently, with a record 160 in 2024), and Huntrods, who is now a fourth grader at Franklin Elementary, also thought O’Neal was “pretty cool” when they first met. They started out as a school-based pairing and got together once a week, and eventually, through “baby steps,” they began to venture out and changed to a community-based pairing that has allowed them to go fishing and attend Iowa State University (ISU) sporting events.

‘The reality is that we never run out of kids, and we always have a need for adults. And it needs to be something that you really feel passionate about wanting to make a difference for a child,” Carroll said.

Big Brother Ryan O’Neal, left, a juvenile courts liaison at Miller Middle School, and his little Noah Huntrods, right, pose for a photo last week. January is National Mentoring Month.

In addition, O’Neal travels to all of Huntrod’s games and wrestling meets, and their banter has become a two-way street — especially when they’re casting lines.

Who’s caught the biggest fish?

“Me,” Huntrods quickly replied.

“Biggest? (Or) most?” O’Neal responded.

Before he and Huntrods partnered up, O’Neal had never worked with BBBS before, and although it does involve a time commitment, he urged those who are up to the challenge to consider it.

“It’s not just another volunteer experience. It’s more of a friendship. Not just with us, but (Tiffany and I) have a friendship now,” he said.

“I’m telling you, he’s like, my best friend,” Lynch added.

“We have a pretty good bond, so it’s more than just meeting up and going to do something with a kid. It’s volunteering. It’s a true friendship, I think, that’s created,” O’Neal said. “Our bond, I think, is pretty special, and I’m anxious for him to be at Miller someday and be able to see him day-to-day.”

And for Lynch, the pairing has made a “100 percent” difference in her grandson’s life as he opens up and learns to connect with others. Will they remain lifelong friends?

“Whether he’s in the program or not, he will be a friend,” she said.

Within the last few weeks, O’Neal and Huntrods have attended a Bobcat basketball game together, where the latter served as a ballboy, and this Friday, they’re headed to Ames for the “Beauty and the Beast” side-by-side wrestling and gymnastics meet at ISU.

“He needs to take me ice fishing. I don’t do much ice fishing, and he does,” O’Neal said of their other future plans.

Thronson and her littles enjoy a variety of activities

Vivian Thronson, a Texas native and current Marshalltown resident who works for Assured Partners, said she was looking to get involved in her new community when she first contacted BBBS Executive Director Lynne Carroll about a pairing.

“I thought about ways that I can help mentor children, and Big Brothers Big Sisters, I did the research and I thought about it for a while, then I realized it was a great organization to be a part of,” she said.

She started working with Fawn, who’s now in fifth grade, three years ago, and eventually added her younger sister Irina, now in third, to the stable. The first time they met, they went to Thronson’s boyfriend at the time (now husband) Joel’s office and ate cake.

“I thought we had the same interests. We both like hot Cheetos,” Thronson said. “I remember (Fawn) said that, and I was like ‘I love hot Cheetos.’ So that was our first impression.”

Fawn is also partial to blue Takis, she added. After Irina’s former Big Sister went off to college about a year ago, she joined her actual older sister and started visiting Thronson’s home for one to two hours of activity time on a weekly basis.

They play games, and they venture out to the YMCA/YWCA to swim. They go on walks during the warmer months and walk across the street to a nearby city park or hit up the Aquatic Center during the summer months.

On Sunday, they were working on creating their own soaps.

“I love that we get to do activities, and sometimes we get to be outside,” Fawn said.

“And we get to help you plant,” Irina added.

For Thronson, the opportunity to play a role in guiding the youth who will someday grow into adults and possibly becoming Big Brothers or Big Sisters themselves is especially meaningful.

“They are going to be the future generation, so it’s nice to have that strong foundation when it comes to children,” she said. “I would tell (anyone considering it) that it’s a big commitment, so something not to be taken lightly, but something that they should highly consider since it’s so rewarding. And it kind of prepares you to be a good mentor and a leader in the community, not just for your job, but just in general overall.”

The Heart of Iowa BBBS office is located at 31 S. 1st St., and the organization can be reached at (641) 753-6370. Carroll is always happy to share success stories, noting one mother who has three kids that have become more confident, open to sharing their feelings and better at having conversations.

“If I’m talking to somebody about our program, I always like to help them understand how easy it is to know that just one-to-one focused attention for a child is what can make a world of difference in who they are, and then I often will talk about the outcomes,” she said. “We see improvement in grades, attendance at school, behavior and self confidence, and they’re less likely to become involved in risky behaviors. And those things lead up to successful days at school and years at school and graduation from high school where they may not have had that experience or gotten to that point without having that one-to-one attention that a mentor has provided for them.”

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.