Be a Big Brother - Be a Big Sister - Be a Big Couple - Be a Big Family

Be a Big Brother

Being a Big Brother is simply about being a friend to a Little Brother. It's about laughing, playing, dreaming and just plain old being there when he needs a helping hand.

Little brothers are young boys, generally between the ages of 6 and 16, who could really use a friend like you. These little guys look forward to meeting their Big Brothers and patiently await their first meeting.

Making the right match between a Big and Little Brother is a very important part of this friendship process. All prospective volunteers are carefully interviewed, and a thorough inquiry is done to ensure that they are reliable, caring adults. We get to know the Little's and the Big's likes and dislikes interests, age and personality.

After the successful match is made, a caseworker at Big Brothers will stay in touch to provide any help they can while Big and Little Brother establish their friendship. In just a few hours a week, for a minimum of one year, you may create a friendship that lasts a lifetime! And the rewards are something that money just can't buy. A smile, a laugh, a fun afternoon at the park - all because you choose to become a friend. Our studies have shown that a Big Brother can even increase a Little Brother's chance of doing well in school. That's something you can both take pride in.

And who is that Big Brother? Why it's you, and any other male, from any walk of life, married, single, with or without children, who has a few hours a week to volunteer his time. Contact us for more information on volunteering as a Big Brother.
 

Be a Big Sister

Big Sisters are caring adults who are dedicated to helping in the development of young girls. They understand the value of a nurturing friendship and the importance of adult role models in a young girl's life. A Big Sister is a mentor who cares about putting a smile on a special little girl.

Little Sisters are young girls typically between the ages of 6 and 16, who would greatly benefit from having the support, guidance, and positive influence of a Big Sister. Sometimes, a Little Sister may just be a girl in need of a special friend like you.

All prospective Big Sisters are carefully screened to ensure that they are reliable caring adults and are well suited to the responsibilities of being a Big Sister. They are then appropriately matched with a young girl sharing common interests. The relationship begins here and for a minimum commitment of one year, a valuable friendship and bond may be developed between a Big and Little Sister that could last a lifetime.

A Big Sister typically spends a few hours a week with her Little Sister on a one-to-one basis. The most important responsibility of a Big Sister is being able to positively impact a young girl's life. This can be done through shared activities such as going for a walk, playing a sport, baking, laughing, going on a picnic, or just plain listening and talking. There is little or no expense involved and some of the best-shared activities are low-cost and spontaneous.

Volunteers enjoy outings with a child and share interests with them. They often make life long friends with girls who can really benefit from their attention. They contribute to their community and in most cases Big Sisters gain as much from the relationship as Little Sisters do. Contact us for more information on volunteering as a Big Sister.

Be a Big Couple

The Couples for Kids program provides a way for couples to share their time together with a child. The couples enrich their lives by spending time together and sharing their friendship with a child who needs a friend.

The program matches couples with a child for a unique two-to-one friendship. This friendship can help to broaden the life of a child and provides acceptance, guidance and support.

The agency strives to match each couple with a child whose needs correspond with the couple's abilities interests, and preferences. After a match has been made, the caseworker will keep in touch and offer on-going support and guidance.

The kids are generally between the ages of 6 and 16. In order for a boy or girl to be matched with a couple, the child (with the permission of his or her guardian) must want to join the Couples for Kids program.

Being matched with a couple, (rather than just one adult), can benefit the child immensely by exposing him or her to a caring, respectful adult relationship.

Couples in the program should be at least 20 years of age, and should have been together for at least one year. The Couples for Kids program provides flexibility by allowing one member of the couple to spend time with the child if the other person is unavailable. Contact us for more information on volunteering as a Big Couple.

Be a Big Family

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cowichan Valley has an exciting new program. Traditionally we match a child or youth to a volunteer to spend quality time together 1-on-1. The Big Family gives a Little a whole different opportunity to be match to more than one mentor. A Big Family may consist of multiple family members in the Big Family. All children in the home of the Big Family must be over the age of 16 years and agree to participate in the Big Family. The Big Family and Little spend time together like any match would, but the exciting difference is there are multiple mentors in a child's life. If you think your family might be a fit for this program, please contact the office to learn more about the benefits of this program. 

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