photo by: John Young

Brogan Moroney, a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County, hands out flags at a powder-puff football game on Sunday, April 10, 2016, at Lawrence High School.

When Brogan Moroney arranged a philanthropy event for his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, three years ago, he had no idea what a positive impact it would have in his life. Moroney decided to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County to arrange an event, “Big for a Day,” where children who participate in Big Brothers Big Sisters would come to his fraternity to hang out for a day.

As someone who always wanted a little brother, Moroney enjoyed the event so much that he decided to become a permanent ‘big.’

“I’ve been involved in a lot of other volunteer organizations and I really liked how Big Brothers Big Sisters is set up. It’s cool because becoming a big, you can see the impact you have directly. It’s more than just community service. You get to develop a cool personal relationship with someone,” said Moroney.

Two years ago, Moroney got matched with his ‘little,’ Malachi. Since then, the two have developed a close friendship.

Moroney and Malachi watch KU basketball games together, and Moroney has been teaching Malachi how to drive, but what they both enjoy the most is when they just hang out at Moroney’s house and talk about life.

“We’ll be lifelong friends I’m sure. We help each other. It’s not volunteering to me, it’s more like mentoring or hanging out with a friend. It feels like he’s actually my little brother,” said Moroney

The two are always there for each other when they need it. When Moroney’s father was killed by a drunk driver in 2014, Malachi called him every week to check in with him and make sure he was doing okay.

“He even sent me a card and it was by far the most meaningful one I received. Coming from someone that young, you don’t think that they’d be thinking of me, but he was,” said Moroney.

For Moroney, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters has helped him expand his outlook on life. “Being a mentor helped me realized that there’s a bigger picture than just yourself and that you’re only a small part of it,” said Moroney.

— Christie Cline is a communications intern for the United Way of Douglas County.