UAB Department of Surgery PGY2 resident Andrew McGee, M.D., was awarded the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham (BBBS) 2020 Big of the Year.

Each year, local chapters across the nation name a big brother and big sister of the year. The community award for greater Birmingham goes to two volunteers who have built a long-standing and meaningful relationship with their little.

McGee has been participating in mentoring programs for many years, starting in undergraduate with Project Uplift and then continuing that pursuit after college through BBBS of greater Birmingham. When McGee first volunteered with BBBS, he was matched with his little Tamauri in late 2014. McGee and Tamauri met up with regular outings and activities, over the years becoming like family.

The mission of BBBS is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. McGee has thoroughly enjoyed his time volunteering with the program and supporting its mission through his match with Tamauri.

“I encourage everyone, with the time and willingness to spare it, to volunteer or donate in some way to this great program,” said McGee. “For both bigs and littles, the matches can be such a positive way to build one another up and do life together. Bigs have a huge opportunity to make an impact in their littles lives, just by consistently supporting them through mentorship.”