Miami mentor and mentee attend Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – NBC 6 South Florida

The Thanksgiving season is all about gratitude, and two women here in South Florida are grateful for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share thanks to their special bond.

The couple’s names are Kennedi Duke and Tanisha Cidel.

Duke attended Norland Middle School and had a talent for singing. At the age of 11, she joined Evolutionary Arts, Cidel’s nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a love of art in children.

And that’s where their bond began.

“She’s just incredibly talented and I wanted to mentor her beyond my experience with her at Norland or Evolutionary Arts,” Cidel said.

So Cidel applied to be a “Big” with the Miami Chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to provide mentoring, connections and support.

“And I thought maybe I could mentor her because she was little at the time,” Cidel said.

And it happened.

“I’ve seen crazy growth from Kennedy. Just the fact that she’s sitting here talking, right? “When I met her she was a little shy, she was a little shy and not confident,” Cidel said.

But Duke said that wasn’t the case today.

“When I see how you work with us and with the children, I see how much you love it and how confident you are in it. And it makes me want to do the same, and I see what you’ve achieved with it.” “I want to achieve these goals, and when I see your path, I want to do the same, do what I love , and working hard for what I love,” she said.

That’s why when they were given the opportunity to audition for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, they jumped at the chance.

And now they’re performing in this year’s parade.

“I get the opportunity to do what I love, and not always you want to give it your all, or you’ll be tired sometimes, and when you’re tired and you give it your all, then do it.” “It’s really a joy” said Cidel. “I’m so proud of her.”

Cidel and Duke traveled to New York on Sunday and will rehearse around the clock leading up to the big performance. All they could say about their debut is that they will stand at the end of the parade and sing Christmas carols with a celebrity.