Meet our staff: Executive Director, Margaret Ayres

Here is the first of our "Meet our Staff" series, because we want you to know us on a more personal level! 

Meet Margie! 

Name: Margaret Wanless-Ayres
Age: Unknown
Horoscope sign:  Aries
Kids: 4
Husband: Mike
Pets: a 4-year old mix, Kasey

I asked her a few questions so that we could get to know her better...here they are:

Favourite movie: Wizard of Oz
Favourite artist/band: Johnny Reid, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw
Favourite book: Green Eggs & Ham
Favourite vacation you've ever been on: Hawaii
Favourite food: surf & turf
Favourite colour: Red
Dream car: DeLorean
Dream vacation: Back to Hawaii!

If you live in Port Perry, you've definitely seen our very own Margie Ayres in the papers 1 million times (pretty much on a weekly basis). It's a big joke with everyone she knows...and when she's not in the paper (rarely) people always ask where has she been?!

Margie has been at Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham for 17 years!! She started out as part-time, and worked her way up to a full-time Executive Director position 6 years ago.

In Margie's "spare time" (quotes because she doesn't have spare time) Margie volunteers for other local organizations and always always helps out families in our community. If you need something, you can ALWAYS could on Margie to help you out. We swear, her heart is made of pure gold.

Margie is very very involved in so many different aspects of our community. She is a member of the 100 Women of Uxbridge, she is a founding member of 100 Women of Scugog, she's on the Chamber of Commerce, and she has a Little Brother with us!

Margie got matched with her Little, Matthew, 2 years ago in the In-School Program. Margie and Matthew are now registered in both the ISM Program, and Traditional Program, meaning that she mostly sees him at the school, but she's allowed to see him outside of school, and just recently she started driving him to his first job!

So there you have it folks, Margie in a nutshell! We'd also like to add that she's a GREAT boss and such a kind, loving person! What a great person to have as ED of our organization! If you do not know Margie (doubtful, she knows everyone) stop in, she'd love to meet you!

Photos were taken by the amazing Daniel Cullen.

Meet a Match: Becky & Hailey

 

Becky & Hailey

Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham’s very own Mentoring Coordinator, Becky Lawlor, started mentoring Hailey a little over a year ago, in the In-School Mentoring (ISM) Program when Hailey was in grade 4. About 4 months ago, Becky and Hailey have transitioned to the Traditional Mentoring Program, which means that they can see each other outside of school, as well as in the school. Their favourite activities to do together in the school include playing on the playground, playing board games, making up their own games, and playing sports. Outside of the school, they like to go shopping, play mini-putt, and visit with Becky’s 3 dogs.

“Becky is a lot of fun. Since I don’t have any siblings, she’s definitely a role model for me,” says Hailey. Becky’s favourite part of their match is just spending time together and seeing how happy Hailey is whenever they are together. “I look forward to our time together and I’ve found that I’m happier on days when I’m going to see her. Hailey brightens my day.”

When I asked Hailey what she thinks she’s getting out of the program, she says “Becky has really been helping me get along with my peers. She also helps me set goals in school which really help.”

When I asked Becky what she gets out of the relationship, she said “I get to know Hailey on a deep level and I like knowing that we’ve made a lasting connection.” Since it’s obvious that both girls like spending time together, this summer is full of possibilities for their bi-weekly visits.

From a Big Brothers Big Sisters point of view, Hailey said the magic words to me; the words we always like to hear from our mentees: “Becky is amazing. She’s not only a mentor to me, she’s like an older sister.”

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

Guest Blogger: Big Sister Lauren Walker

Written by Lauren Walker

What does it take to be a Big Sister?

Nothing special.

What kind of person can be a Big Sister?

Anyone.

What skills do you need to be a Big Sister?

Nothing in particular.

Will one day a week really make a difference?

Absolutely.

    These are the questions I asked myself before I became an in-school mentor back in 2012. The lesson I learned was that you never know until you try. I always thought you needed to have some special quality in order to make a difference. Turns out all the skills you really need, you already possess.

                That’s the thing about spending time with a child. You’ll soon learn they are very accepting and only expect you to be yourself. You don’t need to wear fancy clothes or have a high paying job to share what you know. You don’t need to be any particular age to share your experiences. For me it’s as simple as taking the time out of your day to make a positive change. Every child needs a friend to talk to and to have someone listen. It’s really just as simple as that.

                Just imagine when you were a kid. How awesome would it have been to have someone like that in your life? We’ve all struggled. There were times we could have used a friend to help us. Being a child today is a lot harder than we realize. The world is ever changing and the one thing that can be a constant for these kids is you. The time you spend together is the one thing they look forward to because they just get to be themselves too.

                I wish I had become a Big Sister a long time ago. I waited and hesitated because I didn’t really think I could do it. I believe that change really does start with one person. It could start with you making that choice to do something like this. You really do have the power to change and impact someone’s life. Don’t hesitate. Just imagine that one day a week you spend will contribute to building a child’s self confidence. When they grow up they will look back and remember that you, a perfect stranger, cared enough to make time for them. They will remember that you believed in them. It takes one person to set a child on the right course in life.

                Everyone has the power to be a role model. It’s a ripple effect. When you make a positive difference in a child’s life, you will inspire them to do the same for others. It’s one small way of making the world a better place. It all starts with you.

Lauren Walker

Big Sister Since 2012 

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. 

Guest Blogger: Past Big Sister, Saige Harrison

Written by Saige Harrison

Saige & April

My name is Saige, my wonderful little sister’s name is April and this is our story. I grew up in Port Perry with one older brother, always wanting a sister. April also grew up in the Port Perry area with two older sisters. April’s eldest sister Nicole and I attended Port Perry high school together and I met April a few times when she was really little. 

When April was 7 years old, her middle sister Carrie passed away. In August 2010 when April was 9 years old, Big Brother Big Sister of North Durham (BBBSND) enriched my life by finding my PERFECT little sister match with her. After the first time I met April, I knew it was meant to be, we even look like sisters! I soon started doing In-School Mentoring with April a few times a week on top of hanging out all the time outside of school. We lived 2 minutes down the street from one another and in no time we were pretty much inseparable.  April and I grew an unbreakable sister bond that I am forever grateful to BBBSND for. April’s other sister Nicole and mother Jennifer also became a big part of my life and now they are my family too, blood or not. 

We are no longer a part of the BBBS program as April is now in high school but she is still a huge part of my life. I moved to Alberta for a little while for work, and that did not stop us!! April has been to Alberta 3 times to visit me, we traveled all over the Rocky Mountains together and she even got to see the Tim Horton’s camp her sister Carrie went to out here.

 I will be moving back to Ontario soon and a big part of the reason is because of how much I miss my sister, but no matter where I am in this world April will forever be an important part of my life. She is the most loving, thoughtful and kind sister I could have asked for. And even though she is the “little”, she has taught me so much over the years and has benefited my life as much as I have hers, if not more. 

She has made my life better, happier, brighter and I can’t imagine life without her now. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that your organization does and for bringing her into my life. 

BBBSND brought us together but now NOTHING will tear us apart!!

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