Staff with Lacombe’s Big Brothers Big Sisters are excited to see more mentors signing on with the program, but there is always room for more.
And with January being Mentoring Month, it’s all the more an ideal time to honour mentors and the profound impact they can have on young lives, said Brianna Berthiaume, executive director.
“Mentoring month is celebrated by any organization that focuses their work on mentoring programs, so how we are going to celebrate it by really cherishing our volunteers and our mentors.
“We really want to acknowledge what their one hour each week does to empower children and youth,” she said, adding that currently, the organization has about 32 youth on their wait-list.
But Berthiaume is encouraged by the number of new mentors coming onboard.
“We are seeing a lot of inquiries from volunteers, and right now, our really big push is for mentors who are able to do our in-school program. It’s one hour a week in a local school which can be near (the mentor’s) work or near their home,” she explained.
“We are really working with the schools and with our volunteers, and we are seeing a larger uptake in volunteers who can provide an hour during the work week. So we are also excited to see the (in-school) mentoring program re-grow, as it had been closed during COVID and the restrictions.
“Because of that, it’s taken a bit to get that momentum again. The schools are very thankful that we are having volunteers coming back to support these students again on a one-to-one basis,” she said.
“We will be seeing quite a few mentors being matched up early in the New Year once school is back in, so we are thrilled with that.”
Over the past year, BBBS served about 377 local youth through their various programs.
“We are excited to see what the New Year brings,” she said. “We also have some new ideas and new initiatives in our group mentoring programs that we are looking into, so we are looking forward to continuing to connect with partners we already have in the community, but also about gaining new ones, too.”
It’s certainly been busy these past few months with September being Big Brothers Big Sisters Month nationally, and Sept. 18 marking Big Brothers Big Sisters Day as well.
September also featured the annual Smile Cookie sale at Tim Hortons, where the proceeds went to support the local Big Brothers Big Sisters office.
The ‘Turn the Town Teal’ campaign also landed in September - businesses and organizations were encouraged to put up teal-coloured decor – teal being the brand colour of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
It’s another way to bolster awareness about the organization and the need for mentors which is vital, as Big Brothers Big Sisters Lacombe also covers Clive, Bentley and Blackfalds.
Another highlight to late 2022 was the annual Adopt a Family Program.
“We have donors that come to us from our communities, and they match with families that need support over the holidays,” she explained.
“The donors are able to provide gifts from wish lists from the family members, and they usually also provide some home baking or some cooking for Christmas dinner. This year, we were able to serve 30 families through this program, and there were about 83 youths served.
“We have families from Clive all the way down to Eckville.
“It’s just a fun and a really good endeavor, especially during this time of year,” she said, adding that the program also helps build connections across the community that can go beyond the holiday season.
“We even had one of the donors inquire about becoming a mentor and what that would look like for her, so it really opens doors.”
Meanwhile, prospective Big Brothers and Big Sisters can serve in several capacities – they can sign on as community-based mentors, or in-school mentors or they can spend time with their mentees at the BBBS location here in town (the Bamford House) which is located at 5103 – 49 St.
For more information, call the local office at 403-782-7870 or visit lacombe.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.