Doug Shrieve joined the Big Brothers program when his coworker told him he should sign up to be a Big Brother. At the time, Doug had no idea what it was, but he dove right in. He was single at the time and always up for adventure and fun. Will’s mom signed him up for the program when he was 9 years old. His mom wanted him to have a great male influence, since he grew up with mostly women. Doug didn’t have any expectations when they started the match. They’ve never set any goals or had any checklists, and they just did life together.
Doug introduced Will to mountain biking and off-roading and all types of things. They had many adventures, including a time when they were playing darts and Doug accidentally hit Will in the eye! Doug was glad Will’s mom still let him hang out with Will. They enjoyed just being able to build a relationship together by doing everyday life things. Will has seen all of Doug’s children born, Doug has seen all of Will’s children be born. When Doug and Will introduce themselves to each other, they introduce themselves as “brothers” and not “Big and Little Brothers.”
Doug and Will have been able to grow closer over the years. Attending a Luke Bryan concert was the spark that brought them even closer in their adult life. They went to this concert with their wives, and that’s when Doug realized that they were on the same page in life. They’ve been able to relate more and talk more about life more, instead of just Will’s life. Doug has been influential on Will’s life spiritually, how to be a man, how to be a dad, etc. Will has introduced Doug to the concept of serving. Serving their wives, business partners, etc. Will says this program has made him the man he is today.
To keep things fresh, Will and Doug meet for coffee every Wednesday. They enjoy talking about their families, business, and dreams.
“Over the last couple of years, Doug and I have really grown closer together. We’ve been able to relate a little bit more and talk more about life more than just talking about my life. Now we are having conversations about kids and how we are going to schedule out our summers with our families so that we are doing things intentionally with them.” – Will, Alumni Little Brother
“There is so much that I can learn from Will, and that’s always been true, but especially now. Will has a tremendous amount of energy about him, a zip for life and a real discipline for business. We do ‘Wednesdays with Will’ and we rotate coffee shops. We catch up a lot on business. Will has introduced me to that concept of serving, serving our wives, serving our kids and serving our business partners.” – Doug, Alumni Big Brother
