"I see this going farther than school and high school," Christopher said. "I think we're going to be lifelong friends." I wouldn't change anything," she said.Īfter the kids graduate, the Strifflets are confident they will still stay in touch with their littles. Kyeriona also sees her bigs as family, and Aniyah has no complaints about the match so far. It's almost like having another set of grandkids, I guess," he said. "They're just a constant companion, and they call you up when they have a question on something or just want to talk. Even if it's just taking them to dinner or something."Ĭhristopher said he is learning a lot from the girls. "I just feel these girls are part of that family. But they do have plenty of nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. "We don’t have children of our own," Phyllis explained. What she likes most about them is "knowing that they're not going to leave." Aniyah explained she had previously been matched with a big who didn't have enough time for her.īut that's not the case with the Strifflets, who see the girls as an extension of their own family. Kyeriona's favorite memory was when they drank purple hot chocolate together at IHOP.Īs a prankster, she especially likes scaring Phyllis.Īniyah enjoys any chance to get out of the house and spend time with the Strifflets.
"We spend a lot of time going to the movies and eating out," Christopher said. They almost always end up at Tom's Ice Cream Bowl at the end of their day. Together, the Strifflets and Butlers enjoy outings that often lead them from Nashport to Zanesville. Kyeriona is a seventh grader at Tri-Valley Middle School, and Aniyah is a freshman at the high school. "It’s worked out very well," Phyllis said. They matched with 12-year-old Kyeriona Butler three years ago and then with her older sister, Aniyah, in September. "I don't know why Phyllis and I didn't do it earlier," Christopher said. ZANESVILLE - Christopher and Phyllis Strifflet have long been supporters of Big Brothers Big Sisters.įor the past 15 years, they've volunteered to serve pizza during Bowl for Kids' Sake, but it wasn't until more recently they took the step of becoming big siblings themselves.