Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Sun Coast seeking 'bigs' for long waiting list

Ted, not his real name, is a Manatee County middle school student who has a biological mother, step father, step brothers, step sisters and a biological father who has another family.

What Ted didn't have three years ago, and desperately wanted, was his own big brother.

Bradenton's Dave Potter called Manatee County Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Sun Coast three years ago and offered himself as a Big Brother to Ted. (The organization does not allow the children to be named or photographed in order to protect their privacy.)

Potter, now 71, was married and a grandpa with three adult children and six grandchildren and a love of '50s and '60s music like "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors and "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters.

Ted, on the other hand, listened to WiLD 94.1 out of Tampa, which calls itself "The Bay's Party Station" and loved Iggy Azalea, Groovy Tony, Kid Ink and Fat Joe & Remy Ma.

So, how on earth would these two ever get along? How could a man then in his late 60s who thinks Dreezy is a dreary and rainy day on Anna Maria Island ever satisfy the need for companionship for a 10-year-old into rap?

Well, Ted and Potter are not only still together after three years, they are going strong which, perhaps, shows that in this crazy world, trust and love still has a place, Dave Potter's wife, Patty Potter, said last week.

"I think Ted and Dave prove that retired people can be a Big Brother or Big Sister," Patty Potter said. "You don't have to be 30 years old to be a Big Brother."

When Potter picks up Ted for their weekly visits, he switches on 94.1 on his car radio.

"It's the only time that sta

tion is on," Potter says with a laugh. "I tell him that I don't understand any of the lyrics and he finds that humorous. We have this slight communication gap, but we use it to laugh at each other."

Ted, who calls Potter "Dave," also jokes with Potter about the clothes the grandpa wears.

"He is really into style," Potter said of Ted. "He thinks I dress as an old guy. We kid with each other about how we dress differently."

But where Potter and Ted are totally alike is in their love of sports. Potter is from Massachusetts and is a Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics fan. Although he hasn't switched Ted's allegiances, the two have been to Raymond James Stadium to watch the University of South Florida play football. They have seen the Baltimore Orioles play baseball at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota and Potter took Ted to a baseball clinic hosted by Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder Andrew McCutchen at IMG Academies in Bradenton.

Says Patty Potter, who often plays chess with Ted: "I think Ted can trust Dave. Say Ted has issues with behavior. Dave will say to him, 'Ted, that was probably a poor decision.' But Dave doesn't punish. Dave doesn't yell. Dave just is there for Ted and Ted knows it."

Big Brothers Big Sisters searching for 'Bigs'

BBBS Sun Coast is in the midst of a campaign that runs through Friday called "100 Men in 100 Days" to recruit more Big Brothers like Potter for boys like Ted, said Jennifer Craig, community resource director of Manatee County Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

So far in the campaign, about 50 men have been recruited by BBBS Sun Coast, which includes Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto, Highlands, Hardee, Charlotte, Lee, Hendry and Collier counties.

The 100 man goal won't even bridge the gap because there are 368 children waiting to be matched in the nine counties and 65 percent are boys, Craig said.

In Manatee, the campaign has recruited 25 men so far, but the need for Big Brothers in Manatee is for 62 men, Craig added.

There are 43 "littles" on waiting lists for a "big" in BBBS-Manatee's site-based program, which is where bigs visit littles at their Manatee County schools for one hour once a week, Craig said.

There are also 19 littles waiting for a big for BBBS Manatee's community-based program where the big picks up the little on a weekend once or twice during a month to do an activity in the community that they both would enjoy, Craig added.

"That could be going to volunteer at another organization or walking on the beach or just baking cookies," Craig said.

"The program gives both the big and little a sense of purpose," Craig added. "The kids who are enrolled in the program are not just needing but wanting to have a positive role model in their lives. Either their families or schools came to seek our help. They are in our program because they want to be."

Potter's daughter, Erin Mellin, who has two of Potter's six grandchildren, including Nicholas, 10, and Meghan, 8, says her dad is the kind of retired person who doesn't want to golf. He wants to help.

"My dad is the busiest retired person I ever met," Mellin said by phone from Everett, Mass. "If he has free time he always wants to help. His little brother is all he talks about. If he can help him, that what he wants to do."

"I call Ted my local grandchild," Potter said. "He makes me stay in touch with that generation. I miss my grandchildren quite a bit."

Manatee County currently has 216 men and women like Potter serving as companions to children age 6 to 21, Craig said.

BBBS has the system to match a big to a little down to a science and can help any man or woman, 18 years old or older, be a success at being a big, Potter said.

"I would tell men out there thinking about this, 'Don't be afraid,'" Potter said. "'Trust the process.

"Trust the organization and go for it.' BBBS has been doing this with a lot of personality types. There is a tremendous need in Bradenton." Men or women who think they would like to be a big are asked to call 855-501-2447 or visit bbbsun.org

Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Sun Coast seeking 'bigs' for long waiting list ."