Knox Kincardine donates $750 to local Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization

As part of its community support, Knox Presbyterian Church, Kincardine, has donated $750 to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Bruce and North Huron.

This donation will be used to send a group of Little Brothers and Little Sisters to a day program at Camp Kintail. Last year, nine children were able to attend and enjoy all the fun activities at camp.

Currently, the local Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization has 89 children and youth enrolled in its programs.

“We provide all of our programs and activities at no-cost to our mentees,” says executive director Yolanda Ritsema. “It costs $2,000/year to support one mentee. We fund-raise, and rely on grant-funding and the generosity of individuals, businesses and groups, such as Knox Presbyterian Church, to fund our agency and the programs we provide.”

She says the community-based mentoring programs (matching Big and Little Brothers/Sisters) provide youth between ages of six and 16, with a role model to talk to and share the experiences of growing up with.

Through regular outings, a relationship is developed between the mentor and the mentee built on trust and common interests, and is supported by the organization’s experienced case-workers. People can also be a Big Couple in the program. This mentoring program usually requires a regularly scheduled outing once per week for one to three hours each and a minimum of a one-year commitment.

“Our school-based mentoring program provides youth in Grades 1-8 with a role model and a friend to talk to and share experiences with, within the school grounds,” says Ritsema. “For one hour per week, mentors meet with their mentee and engage in activities, such as board games, crafts or just hang out on school grounds.

“This program runs from September to June, during the school day, on school property. Each match is provided with fun activities to do together. This is a great program for retirees or for businesses that want to implement an in-house volunteering program.”

The Big G (Big Grandparent) mentorship program aims to create and strengthen inter-generational relationships through a one-to-one community-based program, says Ritsema.

“A mentee, aged six to 16, is matched with a mentor, aged 55-plus, based on mutual experiences and shared interests,” she says. “The pair meets for four to eight hours per month in the community and builds a healthy, caring relationship. This grandparent/child-type relationship will also give you the opportunity to expand your network, increase your social connections and explore the community, all while influencing the next generation of young people to be the best they can be. We are offering this program at 10 different schools across our service area.”

For more information on how you can become a mentor, send an E-mail message to Braylyn at braylyn.osborn@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.



Rev. Dan West (centre) and Linda Stanley (right) of Knox Presbyterian Church, Kincardine, present a donation of $750 to Yolanda Ritsema, executive director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Bruce North Huron