Starting Something BIG: Mentoring Programs

Showing posts with label Mentoring Programs. Show all posts

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

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.

Thursday, 3 September 2015

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.

Thursday, 9 July 2015

Family Wish Lists

Telling a parent that their child is going to be matched with a Mentor is a truly an awesome experience. It get's even better when the match starts to see each other and their relationship begins to blossom. Since we are pretty close with the families of our mentees, we know that often they could use a little bit of help. Although we've been doing this for years and years, we're finally putting it into words and out into the community to see if we can extend the help even more.

We've put together a Wish List of all the things that our families may need, and things that would be considered a generous gift. Please know that we will only give these items to families that we know could truly use them. Thank you for your generosity!

Wish List Items/Suggestions:

Grocery gifts cards (grocery stores in North Durham include Loblaws/Presidents Choice stores, Foodland, Food Basics)
Gas gift cards
Movie passes
New/ Gently Used Electronics (Game consoles, tvs, tablets,cellphones ipods/mp3 players)
New/Gently Used Furniture in good condition
New/Gently used clothes (specifically requested girls shirts size large, pants/shorts size 8 or 10, and girls socks)
New/Gently Used toys, games, books

Just recently, a community member attended a Blue Jays Game with some of our Bigs and Littles and one of our Littles wanted a signed baseball so bad...so this generous lady bought it for him (and a few other baseball goodies) and he was so happy and grateful!

If there is something else that you have that you would like to donate to a family, please let me know!

Krista 905-985-3733 ext. 4
krista.duke@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

5 Ways You Can Get Involved with US!

Have you thought about getting involved with but you don't know if mentoring is for you? Well, there are many other options where you can show us your support!

1. Become a Mentor with us
We want you to LOVE your mentoring experience, that's why we set you up with a child who has similar interests, and in a Mentoring Program that fits your needs. Don't want to commit to 3-4 hours a week for a year? No problem--why not try the In School Mentoring Program and see if it's right for you. Remember: your role as mentor is not to change a child's life, but in most cases, you will be there to listen to them, support them, have fun with them, and be their friend.

2. Join Our Board of Directors
We're always looking for new faces to join our Board. We are currently looking for community-minded individuals from Uxbridge, Scugog and Brock to join our Board with the following experience and interests: Financial, Social Service, Legal, Marketing, Educator, Fundraising/Special Events. Contact our office if you need more information.

3. Volunteer at one of our events
We have many events throughout the year that we need lots of help with! Typically we have our Wing Night in February, our Bowl for Kids Sake in April, our Ride for Kids Sake in September, and our Halloween Party in October. We always have a bunch more of third party events we could use your help with. We're always happy to help high school students looking for their 40 hours of community service.

4. Join a Committee
We're currently looking for people to join committees for the following:

Our 40th Anniversary Committee (2016)
Our 1st Curl for Kids Sake Committee

5. Donate
There are many ways you can donate to us that we would really appreciate. Here are a few examples:

In Kind goods and services to be auctioned/raffled off at our events
Goods and Services we can use at the agency
Monetary Donations
Sponsoring one of our families at Christmas with our Gift Program.

We always appreciate everyone who's involved with us! We really cannot continue to run our programs without the help and support for peoples in our community! Call us if you're interested at 905-985-3733 ext. 4

Friday, 8 May 2015

McHappy Day 2015

Wednesday May 7th was McHappy Day and boy we're we MCHAPPY!

Thanks to Ginger and Sandy Jackson, owners of McDonalds in Port Perry and Uxbridge, we were lucky enough to receive the proceeds from every Big Mac, hot McCafe beverage and Happy Meal sold. We're so happy to say that we raised $10,424.00!!!!This is over $2,000 more than we raised last year!!

A huge thanks goes out to all the McDonalds crew who made this day possible! They were all so kind to our volunteers and fast and efficient all day!

Over 60 volunteers from local businesses, council members, and service clubs volunteered their time for an hour or more in able to support our cause! Thanks to the following for lending a employee or two to volunteer:

Pineridge Impress
Campkin's RV Centre

United Way Durham North

Community Living Durham North

Township of Scugog Council Members

Sunnybrae Golf Club

Janet McGhee Chartered Accountant

Port Perry Fire Department

Brock's Department Store