Ashlee Christofferson and Crystal Escobar say they’ll always be friends.
Ashlee, 34, and Crystal, 15, go to the movies, eat out anywhere Chinese, cook and volunteer together, among other things. Every moment she spends with Ashlee is a pleasure for Crystal.
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah
The program matches mentors with youths age 6 to 18 who are in need of friendship and guidance. They are referred by parents, schools, counselors and juvenile centers.
To volunteer » A school-based program accepts volunteer mentors who are high school students, while a community-based program recruits volunteers age 18 or older who commit to spend time with their brother or sister a few times a month for at least a year. Call 801-313-0303 or visit www.bbbsu.org for more information.
To donate » The organization collects gently used and recyclable goods to sell to Savers to help fund its programs. Donations may be made Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at 1875 E. Murray-Holladay Road, or call 801-747-1050 for more information.
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"I consider her like my older sister," Crystal said. "She makes me happy."
In a way, the Salt Lake City friends are sisters.
Ashlee is one of 1,800 volunteers and Crystal one of 1,800 youths involved in Utah’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program, which matches adult mentors with young people who can benefit from their friendship and guidance.
Crystal’s mother referred her to the program three years ago. At the time, the woman was working two jobs to support her four kids, only a year after her husband died.
Big Brothers Big Sisters typically asks for a yearlong commitment from its volunteer mentors, but Ashlee has been Crystal’s big sister for three years and intends to maintain the role until Crystal turns 18 and is no longer eligible for the program.
"That’s the kind of excitement we need in the program," spokeswoman Linda Schott said. "I’m impressed with [Ashlee’s] commitment and passion with her little sister."
Ashlee, an event planner for Ballet West, is a go-getter when it comes to volunteering, and has been so since she was a child, according to her parents.
She remembers weeping every time she would volunteer at a soup kitchen with her Catholic youth group when she was 11.
"That’s just who she is," said Camie Janovak, Ashlee’s mother. "She’s always been a sensitive individual with a soft heart."
Ashlee became an especially active volunteer as a University of Utah student in the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She still helps raise money for the sorority and until recently was its Salt Lake City alumni club president. She has also been president of Northern Utah Alumnae Panhellenic, a group of 26 sororities whose purpose is to foster friendship and volunteerism.
She also volunteers for the YMCA, the Red Cross, the Utah Arts Festival, the American Cancer Society, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake, Special Olympics of Utah, the Utah Arts Festival and the MS Society of Utah, among other organizations.
"It’s amazing how you can make time for things that are important to you," Ashlee said. "I really do find enjoyment in helping others."
Big Brothers Big Sisters especially appreciates volunteers such as Ashlee during the holidays, when the number of volunteers diminishes even though the number of youths on the waiting list (about 200 currently) remains the same, Schott said.
During the holidays, the organization also emphasizes the importance of its household donation program, which funds about 17 percent of its operations.
Big Brothers Big Sisters collects gently used and recyclable goods and sells them to Savers.
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