KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Ivey is in her happy place when she paints.
Sunflowers are her favorite.
"It's fun," she smiled.
The 10-year-old also loves to paint with her big sister, Savannah.
"During her interview, she told us she'd really like to be an artist. I asked her how would you like to spend your time together? I'm going to be here once a week for an hour. What do you want to do? She was like, I want to paint. I want to do arts and crafts," Savannah said.
Savannah now has an entire collection of Ivey's artwork since they were matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee three years ago.
"I keep all of hers because hers are so much better than mine, and I put them in my office," Savannah laughed.
Spending time together eventually changed Savannah's career path.
She now works for the non-profit that pairs mentors with children who need some support.
More than 150 children are currently on the waiting list, but there are not enough volunteers for every child.
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"It's amazing getting to see the littles and the bigs, listening to what the littles have to say about their bigs and then listening to what the bigs have to say about their littles, but even more so getting to hear what the parents have to say about how it's impacted their child, how it's impacted their life," Savannah said.
Savannah has watched Ivey blossom over the years, and Ivey now has a friend she can be herself around.
"She's the best," Ivey said. "She's fun to joke around with."
"She keeps me laughing. She keeps me on my toes for sure. I never know what's going to come out of her mouth," Savannah smiled.
"She's just so loving. She has so much to give, and she just really needed someone that was there to receive everything that she had to give."
Click here to become a volunteer.