- - - - - - - start something - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria

Value of Mentoring
What difference does a year make? When I looked to Big Brothers Big Sisters for a mentor for my daughter (Taylor) I
wasn’t sure what to expect. I was aware almost immediately of the time and care that went into finding the best match,
there were lots of conversations with both Taylor and I about our interests, our schedules and our goals.
We were finally introduced to a mentor, a big sister who was friendly and eager to share her time. It was explained to us
that Heather would be our Big Sister for one year and while I was hoping for a longer commitment Taylor and I agreed we
would like to get to know her.
Taylor and Heather just became the perfect match, they did everything together. The activities were endless, they were
like best friends going swimming, to hockey games and school events. They called each other Little Sister, Big Sister
shared a friendship necklace and truly enjoyed being together.
Having Heather in Taylors’ life was amazing, the best experience ever, we looked forward to every week. Together for one
year does not seem like much but it was the biggest year of my daughter’s life. My daughter grew from the experience,
she became more confident and the joy she was experiencing lifted me as well.
My daughter spent one year with the kindest person I have ever met, as a mother you can’t ask for more than that and I
know the memories will last a lifetime. I consider Heather part of our family and while she is no longer in Victoria we still
hear from her and we will look forward to the day when we can visit again.
Suzanne (a grateful parent)
I just wanted to express our appreciation for everything that we experienced in our dealings with Big Brothers and Big
Sisters. The staff were always very professional and attentive to the details in ensuring the best possible match. We were
supported 100% along the way.
Nick’s first match was with Andrew. He was a young university student that worked almost full time with Westjet. Andrew’s
dedication to his little brother was such that no matter where Andrew was, if he was flying with Westjet, he would call
and make arrangements to see Nick. There was never a week that we didn’t hear from Andrew. Nick and Andrew played
chess together, jogged, played tennis, made soap, cooked pizzas together, visited Fort Rodd Hill, visited the Aviation
Museum, watched a Vancouver Whitecaps soccer game, and any other activity that would just bring them together. It was
great for Angus to have an older male that took an interest in him and would devote a few hours a week in just hanging
out.
We believe that this is a wonderful organization for boys and girls that takes an enormous amount of time in ensuring that
a match will work, that the two are compatible and provides support all along the way. In closing, we just want to
acknowledge that we are very appreciative of the opportunity Nick had to spend quality time with an older male role
model, at a particular time of his life when the extra support truly made a difference.
With Thanks,
Andrea
(Nick’s mother)
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