By Gage Vieno
Reporter Fellow
When Olivia Charbonnier welcomed a group of mentors and children from Big Brothers Big Sisters to Boston City Hall nearly 10 years ago, she had no idea the occasion would change the course of her own life.
At the time, Charbonnier had just started working in then-Mayor Marty Walsh’s administration and she was helping to coordinate a tour of the Mayor’s Office for participants in the mentoring program. Watching the easy connections between volunteers and the children they were partnering with moved her to consider becoming involved in the program herself.
“I thought it was just so cool,” she recalled. “The kids were adorable, and I kind of thought I could see myself being a mentor.”
A year later, she signed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts and was matched with seven-year-old Allisson Heredia. Now, a decade later, she and Allisson have been named the organization’s 2026 “Match of the Year,” an honor that recognizes mentorships that best exemplify the agency’s mission.
For Charbonnier, a Dorchester resident, what began as a volunteer commitment has grown into one of the defining relationships of her adult life.
“I truly can’t picture my twenties, such a formative time period in life, without Allisson being there too,” she said. “Watching her grow into such a successful and accomplished young person, and seeing how she navigates her teenage years with such kindness, drive, and determination, has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”
One of their earliest outings was a trip on the MBTA to Castle Island, when an unexpectedly long bus ride became an opportunity to invent games and get to know one another.
Olivia Charbonnier, right, and Allisson Heredia, left.
“I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is taking so long,’” Charbonnier said. “But she was so sweet and so chatty, and we were making up games on the bus. We still talk about how that first activity was kind of a bonding experience.”
As the years passed, the relationship evolved along with their lives. They documented their adventures in a homemade scrapbook, filling its pages with drawings and memories from trips to baseball games, ice-skating outings, and afternoons spent baking together.
The pandemic presented them with perhaps their greatest challenge. Instead of seeing one another in person, they relied on FaceTime for nearly a year. “When we kind of met up again, it was like, ‘Wow, she is really getting older,’” Charbonnier said.
Today, Heredia is 16 and attending boarding school on a scholarship. She hopes to study English literature in college before pursuing a career in law. She said in an interview that her mentor’s unwavering support has helped shape who she has become.
“Olivia is special because she always knows how to show up for me,” said Heredia. ”She believes in me, even when I might not have the confidence myself, and she’s always there without judgment.”
Mark O’Donnell, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts, said relationships like theirs demonstrate the lasting impact consistent mentorship can have on young people.
“We pair caring adults with young people one-to-one,” he said. “That’s our secret sauce.”
The organization organizes more than 4,000 mentoring matches annually across Eastern Massachusetts, pairing volunteers and children based on shared interests, personalities, and geography. O’Donnell said the agency supports matches throughout their relationships by regularly checking in with mentors, children, and families while helping connect them with activities and resources.
When selecting Match of the Year candidates, staff members nominate relationships that stand out among thousands of active matches before an internal committee makes its final selection.
O’Donnell said long-term relationships are especially meaningful because they demonstrate commitment from everyone involved. “When I see a 10-year-plus match, it just means everyone was at the right place at the right time,” he said. “Everyone cared about moving forward.”
For Charbonnier, the recognition is less about the award than the relationship it celebrates. “Most people aren’t doing this program for the recognition,” she said. “But seeing how excited Allisson was for us to be honored was really special.”
She hopes others who may be hesitant about volunteering realize they do not need special qualifications to make a difference.
“You don’t have to have all this wisdom or all of the answers,” she said. “The most important thing is just being there, listening, and having a consistent presence in a young person’s life.”
O’Donnell echoed that message, encouraging anyone considering becoming a mentor to simply start the conversation.
“The number one rule is show up,” he said. “Everything else takes care of itself.”
