Meet a Match: Margie & Matthew

 Margie & Matthew 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham’s (BBBSND) Executive Director, Margaret (Margie) Ayres, took on the responsibility of being a mentor to Matthew in March 2013. “I wanted a better understanding of how the programs benefited the children and ultimately, I wanted to be a mentor for the same reason as everyone else: I wanted to support a child in our community” says Margie. 

Margie and Matthew started out in the In-School Mentoring (ISM) program in the last few months of Matthew’s grade 6 year. During their time together, they’ve done a bunch of different activities including cooking pizzas and baking cookies, painting bird houses for Father’s Day, playing hangman and Dogopoly, playing basketball, and sometimes just sitting and chatting. Margie’s favourite pastime in their match is when Matthew is putting together a Lego sculpture “he’s so good at it, reading all the instructions carefully, and patient with it, too, unlike me” says Margie. Margie thinks Matthews favourite thing to do is play Dogopoly “because he always wins and takes all my Monopoly money” Margie jokes.

Margie says she likes spending time with Matthew because he’s very appreciative of her coming every week and he’s always so polite. “He’s also got quite the sense of humour, he’s quite sarcastic, but always making me laugh,” says Margie. Margie explains that Matthew’s dad is also very kind to her “Every time I call Matthew’s dad, he’s always very thankful for me hanging out with Matthew, and so that’s really nice to hear.”

In July of 2015, Margie and Matthew semi-transitioned to the Traditional Program, meaning that she mainly sees him once a week in the school, but she can see him in the summer outside of school. Their first Traditional outing was to Joyride 150 on Matthew’s birthday! Margie brought her son and a couple of his friends to ride around with Matthew. Margie said they rode their bikes around for 7 hours and they all loved it! Margie plans on bringing Matthew along to a lot of BBBSND events so that he can see what it means to give back to the community.

When asked about what kind of relationship she thinks they have, Margie said that they are friends. She has fun with him and can count on him, and vice versa. “I think he really enjoys it when I come see him. He always wants me to stay longer than the 1 hour I’m supposed to stay,” says Margie.  

Even though Matthew has recently been matched with a Big Brother who has more time to spend with him outside of school, Margie and Matthew are going to continue seeing each other in school, as well as occasionally outside of school.

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

Photos were taken by the amazing Daniel Cullen. 

Meet a Mentor: Gord Humphrey

Mentor Profile: Gord Humphrey

If you live in Port Perry, or went to Port Perry High School, you probably know (the now retired teacher) Gord Humphrey.  Gord has been a  BBBS mentor since retiring 5 years ago, and as of 2013  an active Board Member.

In the 5 years he’s been with us, Gord has been an In-School mentor to 5 boys. In-School Mentoring is a program sponsored  by BBBS in which mentor and mentees meet for 1 hour a week in school.  There is no formal contact in the  summers but, in continuing relationships, things pick up again as soon as school starts in September.

At present Gord has 3 mentees all of whom go to RH Cornish, with one in grade 6 and 2 in grade 8.  Each of Gord’s boys have different interests so Gord gets to participate in a wide range of activities in the 3 hours a week he’s mentoring. Ryan really likes sports, so he and Gord play volleyball, football, and basketball, and compete with each other throwing the javelin, something that Ryan is exceptionally good at.  Ethan is really into the card game Magic, so much of the time with Ethan is  spent playing Magic with Ethan being patient while teaching Gord how to play and the complex strategies found in the game. Bryan is up for anything; often sports, baseball, basketball and wallball being favourites  but Brian also enjoys indoor activities including building with Lego and Kinect.

Gord says that he has a pretty good bond with all 3 boys. Each of his mentees is unique but the time together has allowed Gord to know  them as individuals and so learn how to talk and interact with each of them.  Not only does he think that the impact on the kids is profound, but mentoring is fulfilling for him, as well. “Most of my extra-curricular activities are volunteer-based, you know, doing something that I think is worthwhile, and in school mentoring certainly seems to be worthwhile” says Gord.

Gord says that being a mentor is very similar to being a teacher, but has an even closer parallel in  being a sports coach. Gord has been a coach all of his adult life, and being a coach he feels is all about mentoring with sport as the vehicle to influence kids in positive ways. Gord feels that being involved in the community is important, and he says “In school mentoring with BBBS is one way I can feel good about myself and have a positive impact on someone else.”

Gord is looking forward to the fall so he can see the boys again  and hear what they have been up to. He is looking forward to seeing what this next  year brings!

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 Becky Lawlor

Written by Becky Lawlor

I have been the Mentoring Coordinator at Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham for approximately one year and a half. I have been a mentor in the In-School Program since April 2014 and I have seen the impact mentoring can have on a child, not only through my work at Big Brothers, but throughout my own match. Being the Mentoring Coordinator I am continuously talking about how a mentor can impact a child, and I am able to speak of my experience and express the excitement that comes from mentoring. 

When I started mentoring my mentee in April of 2014 I looked at the In-school Mentoring Program as spending time together and having fun while working towards goals. Little did I know this mentoring experience would bring me a new perspective. I look forward to my time with my mentee and it brings me comfort that I have had a positive impact on her life in some ways. Now, my mentee and I are in the In-School Program as well as the traditional program so we can see each other over the summer break. On the weeks that I see her in school, we enjoy playing outside on the playground, throwing a ball around or playing in the gym and making up new games. My mentee enjoys being active, so we plan a lot of our activities around being up and moving. 

During the time that we have been matched, we have got to know each other on a friend level. She knows that she is able to talk to me about anything and that I will listen to her, be there for her and offer suggestions if she wants help. I enjoy talking and being with my mentee because she is so enthusiastic and full of life. Seeing the excitement and happiness that she has when I come and see her at school or when I pick her up in the summer is an awesome feeling and it shows that she really enjoys our time together. Being a “Big Sister” is rewarding because you are able to celebrate your mentee’s successes and see how happy they are when they achieve goals or get a good grade on a test.

Being a Mentor has brought me a close friendship with an awesome girl! This match made me want to be there for another child, so I began mentoring another child in the In-School Program in May 2015. Mentoring does not only have an impact on the child, it has an impact on the mentor as well. I am looking forward to the upcoming school year so I am able to mentor in the school setting again.

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: 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. 

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.