Sponsor a local Family this year

"There's no better feeling than giving to others"

The holiday season is upon us! 

Every year, all year, we try and give as much to our families as we can. If someone drops off gently used clothes, furniture, and toys we make sure they make it into the hands of someone who truly needs them in our community.

Since it's almost Christmas time, we want to amp it up a notch. Last year was our first year asking the local community to "adopt" one of our families and give them a Christmas they will certainly remember. It was amazing! Community members came forward and in total we had 4 families sponsored! We appreciate the sponsorship, but believe me, our families appreciate it much much more.

The beauty and simplicity of this program is that the person/persons who adopt the family gets to decide how much they want to spend on the family...it's all up to you! We do give you "Wish Lists" if you would like, with things that the child may ask for, or what the parents need, but it's really all up to you! Anything that you can give to these families is truly appreciated.

Currently, we have 3 families of different sizes who are still waiting to be adopted this Christmas! If you're interested in adopting one of these families, please email Krista at krista.duke@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca or call at 905-985-3733 ext 4 for more information.

Thank you to Fisher's Independent for donating groceries to some of our families in Brock Township this year!

Guest Blogger: Little Sister, Amanda and Big Sister, Lis

Guest Bloggers: Little Sister Amanda and Big Sister Lis

Amanda: Mine and Lis's relationship is a very strong thing. Lis is everything I could ever look for in a big sister. Our relationship is what other kids dream for and wish they had, I really appreciate everything she and Big Brothers Big Sisters has done for me.

A couple years ago when I was first registered for the program I was going through a hard time, but when I was matched with Lis things started to get better. She encourage me to do a lot of things and she also helped me cope with my anxiety by bringing me out to places and helping me meet new people. Now that its 2015 our friendship is still going very strong. She is still getting me to meet new people and getting me to take risks and getting  me to try new things. Every time we are out doing something we always have a good laugh even laughing at the small things. Lis is like another friend - she is always caring and she tries to understand everything I talk about or even if I'm explaining something. She always tries to understand. I am so glad I can call on her as a big sister/friend.

I am also so glad I was registered to Big Brothers Big Sisters and meet someone like Lis.

Lis: Amanda is a wonderful girl with lots of great character and a beautiful personality. She is very caring toward all her friends and loves to have a good time. She is naturally physically very strong and a true country girl. She makes me laugh when she fights new adventures but realizes she is very capable of doing so, like tree-trekking or canoeing. She has a special touch when it comes to matching up her clothes, she always looks great. And her hair is beautiful.

I love watching Amanda finding herself and learning to love who she is. I feel very fortunate she has picked me to be her friend and sister.

If you're interested in learning more information about our mentoring programs, please call Cheryl Holmes at 905-985-3733 ext 2.   

Could your child use our programs?

Our programs are not just for children who have a single parent anymore...our Mentoring Programs are designed for children in all walks of life.

Big Sister Gill, and Little Sister, Cailey. Read their story here. 

How do you know if your child could use a mentor?

Could your child use improved social skills? Does your child need a friend? Does your child need a non-family member to rely on? Does your child need a non-family member to talk to? Does your child like to have fun? If you can answer 'yes' to any of these questions, than your child could be eligible for a mentor!

Studies show that mentoring helps kids stay in school, avoid risky behavior such as bullying, and grow up having more respect for family, peers and community.

We have different programs available to suit the needs of all children and volunteers.
 
Our In-School Mentoring Program takes place once a week, for 1 hour, in the school, for the duration of the school year.

Our Traditional Mentoring Program takes place once a week, usually for 3-5 hours (depends on the Big/Little and the activities), outside of school.

We also have a few group programs which are recommended from the school to certain parents. 


        


All of our programs strive to do the following:

• provide a role model and a friend for girls and boys.
• promote the importance of staying in school and healthy relationships with family and peers.
• instill trust and self-confidence in order to make healthy decisions.
• encourage leadership skills and independent thinking.
• and above all, make a difference while having fun.

For more information on each of our programs, please visit our website here.

If you're interested in learning more information about our mentoring programs, please call Cheryl Holmes at 905-985-3733 ext 2.   






                                                                                                                            Big Brother, Mike and Little Brother, Jack. Read their story here.

Do you have 1 hour a week for 7 weeks?

 Do you have 1 hr/week for 7 weeks?

TIME is often the one thing that holds people back from wanting to mentor.

Mentoring may be easier than you think. 

If you're under 30, you can run a Go Girls or Game On group program that only takes 1 hour per week, for 7 weeks, and then that's it, you're done! Best of all, both programs are so structured, and we provide you with ALL materials/supplies you need, so all you need to do is follow the program each week and interact with the boys or girls.


Go Girls! is a program designed for girls in grade 7 and 8, and focuses on healthy eating habits, social trends and how to handle them, being physically active, self-esteem and self-confidence.

Game On is designed for boys in grade 7 and 8, and focus on being physically active, working on social skills, and healthy eating, and emotional health.

Both of these programs are fun, simple to implement and so rewarding, for both you and the kids in the program! 

If you are over 30, you can run a Kids In Motion program, which also runs 1 hour per week, for 7 weeks. Find more information here.

To find out more information about these and other programs we offer, visit our website here.

If you're interested in learning more information about our mentoring programs, please call Cheryl Holmes at 905-985-3733 ext 2.  

Meet a Match: Mike & Jack

 Mike & Jack

Although on paper the two don’t have much in common, and there’s a significant age gap between the two Brothers, nothing has gotten in the way of Mike and Jack’s steadily growing bond over the past 6 months. Since Mike lives in Port Perry and Jack lives in Beaverton, Mike spends over 1.5 hours each week just going to pick Jack up and bringing him back home—a true testament to how Mike feels about Jack.

Mike says that since there’s not much to do in Beaverton, he often picks Jack up and brings him back to Port Perry, sometimes with his bike so they can ride around the side roads. Or they’ll walk Mike’s dogs, watch a movie with Mike’s family, or play at the park. Mike has also introduced Jack to many firsts over these last 6 months, including an Oshawa Generals game, a Blue Jays game, the Ontario Science Centre and the Toronto Zoo. “Jack loves the zoo,” says Mike. “His mom said he would probably go to the zoo every day if he could.”

 Though Jack has been exposed to a variety of new and different activities lately, Mike says he knows that Jack’s favourite is when they go bowling together. “His smile is from ear to ear the whole time and he gets really excited if he gets a strike or a spare.” When I ask Mike what his favourite activity is, he says, “Watching Jack bowl. He’s just so happy.” 

Over the past months, Mike’s noticed that Jack has warmed up to him a lot more than in the beginning. “He’s a lot happier when he’s with me now. He used to miss his mom soon after we left, but now he doesn’t.” Mike also adds that Jack loves to joke around with him, and he’s not nearly as nervous as he used to be. Although Mike doesn’t think that he himself has changed much since they’ve been matched, he admits acknowledges that he really looks forward to seeing Jack and spending time with him.

Jack has really taken to Mike’s family, too. Mike says that whenever Jack gets into his truck, the first thing he does is look in the backseats to see if any of Mike’s kids have come along for the ride. “He’s part of the family.” Mike and his family recently celebrated Jack’s birthday with a surprise party, complete with cake and gifts! 

Mike says that since they’ve met, he’s learned a lot about Jack and that he hopes with every visit he will learn even more!

If you're interested in learning more information about our mentoring programs, please call Cheryl Holmes at 905-985-3733 ext 2 or visit our website here.