Jill Wagstaff,
A Hero In Our Midst

When Jill Wagstaff was in seventh grade, she was envious of a classmate who had a Big Sister through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. She remembers her classmate’s stories about all the fun activities she and her “Big” shared and Wagstaff, the oldest of four, pined for her own big sister.

Though she never got a Big Sister, Wagstaff never forgot her interest in Big Brothers Big Sisters. Ten years later as a student at the University of Florida, an ad in the local school newspaper rekindled her early interest, and Wagstaff decided to sign up that day. Incidentally, she had several Sigma Kappa sorority sisters hanging out with her that day, and she recruited them on the spot to volunteer as Big Sisters.

Seven years later, Wagstaff and her Little Sister Talorean (Tori) are being honored for their long-standing relationship, with Wagstaff receiving the accolade of Hero In Our Midst for the State of Florida. Their relationship has grown from trips to McDonald’s when Little Sister Tori was nine-years-old, to providing advice about college applications and watching an accomplished, now 16-year-old, play basketball for her junior varsity high school team.

Their story began when they were matched in a Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based program, meeting once a week at Tori’s elementary school. They immediately connected and shared their love of dancing and the performing arts, and even shared stories about how they both come from large families. They wanted to spend time together out of school, so Wagstaff completed the additional steps in the screening process, and they were transferred into the Big Brothers Big Sisters community-based program.

The next few years sped by, jam-packed with exciting events that created many changes. Their relationship, however, never wavered. In fact, their match grew even stronger. After Wagstaff finished college, she got married, and she and her husband, Tobin, focused on building their family, giving birth to four children in four years. Throughout these transitions, Wagstaff remained a constant in Tori’s life. At ten, Tori was a junior bridesmaid in Wagstaff’s wedding, and each new addition to the Wagstaff family, starting with TJ, then Rudy, Dallas, and Jolene has come to know “Aunt Tori” as a special member of the family.

A stay-at-home mother with many responsibilities, Wagstaff is the co-founder and board president of Studio Percussion, Inc., a non-profit music school created by her and her husband. She also finds time to be the advisor for the University of Florida Sigma Kappa sorority and serves as a member of the Gainesville Junior Women’s Club.

Learning to drive a car is high on Tori’s priority list and Wagstaff has volunteered to help, with some reservations. Wagstaff can’t help but remember an earlier, amusing “driving” story. Wagstaff needed to buy a dress for a formal event and had a broken leg. The “sisters” were shopping at the mall, with Wagstaff in a wheelchair and nine-year-old Tori steering. “I don’t think we missed running into a plant or a wall; we managed to ram into almost everything. I was lucky to come out of it with only one broken leg,” Wagstaff laughingly relates. “I told Tori that I hope she steers a car better than a wheelchair when she starts driving!”

Tori’s mom, Tonia Potter, feels that Wagstaff has enhanced Tori’s growth in so many ways. “Jill has stressed the importance of continuing education, placed great importance on the value of family, and helped Tori map out the road she must travel to become successful in life,” says Potter. “Jill has taken the time to understand our family values and what I hope to instill in Tori, and she has made my job as a single parent a lot easier, “ she continues.

Wagstaff recognizes how far Tori has come in their time together. “I am so proud of the young woman she has become. She makes good choices, with a wisdom seemingly far beyond her years.” Wagstaff continues, “We talk about a lot of things, and we don’t always agree. But that doesn’t change our love for one another.”

Both Tori and Wagstaff know that they will always be a part of each other’s lives. “We are really inseparable,” Tori explains. “She has become one of my role models; I really look up to her.”

Summing up their seven years together, Wagstaff says simply, “Every moment of our relationship has been a high point for me, and I look forward to many more.”