Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut is honoring some of their volunteers at the Bigs of the Year Awards. The celebration is at Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford Wednesday night.
Joey Redmond, of Higganum, is named Big Brother of the Year, and said it is only due to the special relationship born from the program.
With banter and lots of laughs, you may just think Joey Redmond and Denzel Pinet-Sepulveda are brothers. In a way, they almost are.
“I make jokes. He makes jokes. I grow, he stays the same,” Pinet-Sepulveda, of Bristol, said.
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Pinet-Sepulveda, 15, met Redmond nearly six years ago through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut.
“I also grew up with three brothers, and they mean everything to me,” Redmond said. “They've been there for me my whole life, and I kind of want to give that back to someone else.”
Their initial meeting would transform into a life-changing friendship. It all started with fun outdoor actives.
“We're both outdoorsy people. We're both athletic. So we like to get out and do things like hiking, fishing,” Redmond said.
“We've done basketball, we've done, going to the beach,” Pinet-Sepulveda said. “We've done a lot of sports things because you know, we're big strong men."
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Then the duo discovered a new shared passion.
“I had grown up skiing, and Denzel loves playing sports and he had never tried skiing before,” Redmond said.
Pinet-Sepulveda became a quick learner alongside Redmond.
“I fell in love with it,” he said.
They ski for free at Mount Southington, thanks its two-decade partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“We started going almost every weekend in the wintertime,” Redmond said.
The lessons, ultimately empowering Pinet-Sepulveda to step into a leadership role, now a Mount Southington ski ambassador, soon to be an instructor.
“I'm better than Joey now,” Pinet-Sepulveda joked.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has offered services to more than 100,000 kids in Connecticut since its founding in the mid-1960s, and today aims to foster a unique bond for more than a thousand young people across the state.
However, Redmond is now getting special recognition, named by the organization as Big Brother of the Year.
“It's very humbling,” Redmond said.
It’s an honor he said would not be possible without the brotherly bond.
“We've really become like actual brothers. It doesn't seem like volunteering anymore,” Redmond said. “As much as you see that it makes an impact on their life, you get as much out of it as you put into it.”
His Little will be right next to him as he accepts his trophy Wednesday, proving a brother will always stand beside you.
“To have Joey in my life changed a lot, changed my life a lot,” Pinet-Sepulveda said. “He's helped me through my tough times. He's been there. He's changed me into the tall young man I am.”
