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.

Guest Blogger: Big Brother Dave Stell

 

Written by Dave Stell

Hey, I know what you are thinking. "I don't have time." or "I don't have anything to offer as a 'Big'".

You are only fooling yourself, my friend.

As a Big Brother/Sister, or a mentor, you have the time and believe me, as far as these kids are concerned, you definitely will make a difference in their lives.

I have a crazy schedule most weeks. Two teen kids of my own with activities, my own sports and other volunteer work. So when I signed up years ago, I was concerned about the time. But the mentor program made it easy. One hour a week. I started out just visiting my little brother during my lunch hour. It didn't take much time and my employer supported it 100 per cent. It looks good on the company if the staff volunteer! So what's a little longer lunch once a week to them?

There, that's settled. Now what do you have to offer? Just show up and be a friend. Listen. Play. That's all. And they will love it. Having another adult to care enough about them to show up and care is HUGE.

Big Brothers/Sisters does a great job of matching you up with a 'little' with the same interests. I'm a sports nut, and through many school years now, I've played so much one-on-one dodgeball and floor hockey. And I've enjoyed every minute. It's fun, not work.

Come on. Step up and help out. There's a child out there waiting for your friendship.

I love being a Big Brother mentor.

-Dave Stell 

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

Meet a Board Member: Chairman Bill Swan

 Bill Swan

When I sat down to interview the Chair of our Board of Directors, I'll be honest with you, I learned far more about him than I anticipated! The things I knew about Bill before I sat down with him were basic: he was a generous, easy-going retiree who lives in Port Perry with his English wife Rosemary. However, after our chat, I learned that Bill is a well-traveled, experienced businessman who's headed multiple non-profit endeavours in multiple countries.

Bill's professional background includes many years of successful leadership experience as VP of Sales and Marketing then President and CEO, from start-up companies to multinational organizations in the IT, Financial Services and Audio Visual industries.  He has lived Canada, the US, and England and conducted business in over 16 countries throughout his career. 

In the midst of his careers, Bill explained that he first started working with children/youth charities when he and two other local gentlemen started the East Sussex Motor Project in the south of England. The organization helped young offenders in trouble with the law through building and racing stock cars-- a positive outlet in which they could focus their attention, while being mentored by the volunteers involved. 

In 2007, after first living in Indianapolis, Indiana, then 17 years in South East England, Bill and Rosemary moved back to Canada and landed in Port Perry where Bill officially retired. Instead of slowing down, Bill joined several local organizations, and utilized his skills to help charities such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham, the Port Perry United Church, and the 1st Port Perry Scouts. 

Bill also started up and Chaired the Port Perry House Tour, which is going into its 7th year, and has raised over $60,000 for the YWCA, Joanne's House, Community Care Durham Scugog, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham. Bill is also VP of the choir at the church. 

When I asked Bill why he joined our Board of Directors in 2007, he said when he moved to Port Perry he was looking in the community for local organizations he could help out with, and Big Brothers Big Sisters just happened to be looking for people to join our Board. It was a win-win! After a few years as a Director, Bill was asked to be Vice Chair, and has held the position of Board Chair since 2013.

When he's not busy with local charities or the church, Bill and Rose like to golf, sing in Port Perry United Church choir, go to the movies, travel and spend time with their 3 children and 2 grandchildren.  

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

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

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