Life during covid: Big Brothers Big Sisters builds momentum as pandemic restrictions ease

Editor’s note: This is an occasional series examining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of members of our community.

Lisa McDaid and Khalaijah Collins were just starting to get to know each other last spring.

They were making plans for outings together after being matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region.

But their plans were dashed when state officials ordered business shutdowns in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Instead, they kept in touch regularly until it seemed safe to meet again.

“We had so many plans to do stuff,” said McDaid of Irwin, the Big Sister. “It was kind of hard to go out and hang out … we were sure to be cautious of everything.”

Dozens of matches in the program had to rethink plans or how to maintain communication in light of the restrictions brought early on by the pandemic, said Aubrey Marquis, community-based coordinator. Laurel region participation is expected to grow from the current 98 to 102 by mid-May.

Through the past year, some matches shifted to electronic communication only and Bigs dropped off activity bags at their Littles’ homes while waving through the car window, she said.

Outdoor activities became a way for many matches to connect.

“If they saw each other in person, it was completely based on their comfort level and their discretion,” she said.

McDaid and Collins, 14, of Latrobe, haven’t had trouble fostering a relationship during the pandemic. They said they were matched in December 2019 and met a few months later, right as the virus hit locally. They hung out at first and got to know each other, making plans along the way.

“There was a couple things that we had in mind that just kind of fell through because of everything,” McDaid said.

But they didn’t let that stop them.

With the pandemic closing some businesses, McDaid and Collins said they have done some activities outdoors, like kayaking at Keystone State Park, and others in a reimagined way, such as getting take-home kits from Painting With A Twist. They met up recently at Twin Lakes Park and have been shopping at Westmoreland Mall.

Collins said they went axe throwing and then she slept over at her Big Sister’s house. But when both had to quarantine separately because of a possible virus exposure, they just stuck to text messaging.

Collins said she’s looking forward to going horseback riding and to the Cattfeinated Cat Cafe in Greensburg.

The organization’s school-based match program, during which a Big meets with a Little once a week at school, had to pivot so pairs could still meet in some form, as long as a guardian was OK with it, Marquis said. Some of those Bigs and Littles were able to see each other virtually or from a distance, but other matches withered.

In-person learning was shut down by the state in March 2020 and schools have bounced between virtual classes and regular school for the 2020-21 school year. The school-based program is rebounding, Marquis said.