Tammy Gerhard was 19 and a college sophomore when she made a one-year commitment through Big Brothers Big Sisters Connecticut to mentor a ‘little sister.”
Today, 35 years later, they remain sisters, thick as thieves.
A lot of ups and downs have happened in those decades, the once little girl of four or five years old now has four children ages 3 to 12, one with special needs, and Gerhard has three older children.
Their bond built through Big Brothers Big Sisters Connecticut is unbreakable — they are champions for each other.
“I could not be more proud of who she’s become as a woman and a mom,” Gerhard said of SarahBeth Grant, who now lives in Maine. “She became who she needed when she was a kid. ”
As for Grant, she said her mom “struggled with mental illness and did the best she could.”
“But stability and nurturing were often missing. When Tammy and her family entered my life through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, they opened both their home and their hearts to me in a way I will never forget,” Grant said.
Gerhard, owner of two Silk City coffee shops in Windham and Manchester, knew the value of mentoring herself at an early age, as she had older parents and two older sisters, one by 20 years and another by 16 years.
“They were young and motivated,” and took her with them lots of places. After that, “I knew in my life I wanted to mentor. I knew in my own life the power of mentoring.”
Gerhard went on to be a school guidance counselor for 22 years and beyond that, heavily mentored numerous people along the way in life, including a woman who would come to partner with her in the coffee shops.
In keeping with her strong convictions about helping others, good causes, human needs would be a central theme of her coffee shops.
The award-winning shops with their own acclaimed coffee brand have a board where customers can request favors: from car repairs to tutoring.
Guests can also be part of helping bigger community causes, fighting human trafficking, hunger. homelessness, cancer and more through portions of certain product sales, including a monthly cookie from which they donate $1 per cookie to a cause.
In January, National Mentorship Month, she will concentrate on raising money and awareness through the cookie sales, the proceeds going to Big Brothers Big Sisters Connecticut.
She’s also going to talk up the value of mentoring and the program through words and social media, in hopes that people will sign up as mentors. Gerhard said currently in Manchester there are 39 kids on a waiting list for a big sister or brother and in Windham, 19 waiting.
Gerhard said mentoring doesn’t have to be anything fancy or complicated. She and SarahBeth used to go to the library, the park and around doing everyday activities. The little girl would eventually be in Gerhard’s wedding.
“She was sweet, full of energy,” Gerhard said. “The first day I met her she put on roller skates and took me around the apartments where she lived. She couldn’t wait to tell me about the people in her life.”
In around junior high school Grant moved to Maine, so they “lost touch for a bit,” until 2010, Gerhard said.
After graduating from high school, Grant reached out to Gerhard online and they rebuilt their relationship even though Grant remains in Maine.
They support one another.
When Gerhard wrote a children’s book, Grant was the first one to hold a book signing event in Maine.
“She’s a pretty amazing woman,” Gerhard said.
Grant said even in seasons when they lost touch, she knew Gerhard would be there if she reached out.
“She offered steady care through simple but meaningful moments: roller skating, doing crafts, listening when I needed to talk, taking me into the community, practicing self-care, and making me feel seen and valued,” Grant said. “She even invited me to be part of her wedding, choosing me on one of the most important days of her life. That act alone spoke volumes.”
Gerhard said young people “want to feel heard and cared about.”
Grant said she promised herself that if she ever had a family it would look different than her own family and much of her vision had been modeled by Tammy and her family.
“We would show love, stay connected, and be there for one another,” Grant said, of the vision that she had for her family and has fulfilled, according to Gerhard. “Tammy has remained an inspiration to me, near or far. Through her example, I learned that my past does not define me. I am not bound by it, and I am the one who gets to define my future.”
Guests at Silk City Coffee shop in Manchester given out more than $30,000 to local organizations in about nine years.
The coffee shop has been declared by an organization to be among the top 100 coffee shops in the world, making it to 67th on the world stage. the coffee, roasted by them in Manchester, is shipped all over the world.