Greensburg —
28-year-old Cody Gault and his wife, Erica, are expecting their first child "any day now."
The crop insurance specialist for Farm Credit Services keeps busy dividing his time among work and family obligations; and though balancing those many responsibilities is no small task, the soon-to-be father still manages to donate all the time he can to his "little brother," Josh Perry.
It's a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring match that comes with all the fun shared by "real" siblings, and the pairing is proving to be mutually beneficial for both.
Cody and nine-year-old Josh were initially paired through the Big Brothers Big Sisters lunchtime program. Josh, presently a fourth-grader at Greensburg Elementary School, and Cody have been "lunch buddies" since Aug. 2010.
Those lunches, Cody said, aren't always to the crop insurance specialist's liking; though the time spent with his "little brother" more than makes up for the (in Cody's opinion) lackluster "school food."
And what the two lack in shared culinary appreciation, they happily counter with mutual interests.
Both consider themselves to be outdoorsmen. They play basketball together. Josh likes to fish, and the two have gotten together for a round of miniature golf. In spite of their "Putt-Putt" enjoyment, however, neither Cody nor Josh has any desire to hit the links for a "good walk spoiled" anytime soon. And while both consider the game of a golf a bit too boring for their tastes, the two have managed to find plenty of other fun activities for the time they share.
Some of those adventures involve riding four-wheelers, sitting down for pizza, having ice cream and watching movies. Cody describes their relationship as one quite similar to that shared by siblings. He also feels the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program can positively impact area youth.
"I think it's a great opportunity to be involved in the community," said Cody. "At the end of the day, I hope he's learned as much from me as I have from him. It's a great experience."
Those experiences, for both Cody and Josh, have proven to be as spontaneous as they are memorable.
Both young men said they try not to establish any sort of itinerary for the time they spend together.
"It's usually spur-of-the-moment," said Cody. "We try not to plan anything."
Seated together in the office of Lisa Hermesch, Big Brothers Big Sisters program director, Josh and Cody talked of one of the next trips, which is expected to include a movie. Cody said he's leaving the choice up to Josh, though Big Brother will have the final say of what the two view.
Josh, an enthusiastic elementary school student, told the Daily News he enjoys watching the TV shows Good Luck Charlie and Wizards of Waverly Place, among several others. Josh also occasionally tunes into some college basketball, another activity shared by "big brother" Cody.
The two also plan to stay in touch in the years to come.
"I'll be his Ôbig brother' as long as he'll keep me around," said Cody.
"They're both hoping it will be a life-long friendship," added Lisa Hermesch.
Both Cody and Lisa also echoed the sentiments of other Big Brothers Big Sisters matches previously profiled in the Daily News: Joining the mentoring program doesn't necessarily mean spending a great deal of money. The time shared together, according to Cody and Josh, is far more important.
As "big brother" and "little brother" pretended to wrestle and briefly engaged themselves in a game of Scattergories recently, it appeared clear that the pairing has worked out to the benefit of both young men.
"They're a good influence on each other," said Lisa Hermesch. "They're having a great time together."
For more information on the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program, contact Lisa Hermesch at (812) 663-7556.
Contact: Brent Brown 812-663-3111 x7056
News
Related Photos
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Cody Gault and Josh Perry enjoy a game of Scattergories at Big Brothers Big Sisters in Greensburg. The two have been matched in a mentoring program since Aug. 2011.
BBBS, changing one life at a time
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