My husband and I own and operate a local dairy farm with our two children, Mary-lynn and Piet, who were both “Littles” in Big Brothers Big Sisters Prairies to Peaks Association.
I actually started my Big Brother Big Sisters “career” with a “Little” girl of 10 at an agency information night in Red Deer before I was married.
After going through the selection process we were matched for the next three years. After our match ended, we went our separate ways and I never heard from her again.
Six years ago, an adult woman approached me at the Penhold Parade. It was my “Little” and she recognized me. She was married and had two children of her own. She commented on how her experience with me stayed with her and shaped how she parents her children today.
As a volunteer, that moment stayed with me to this day and reminds me of the big impact small acts of kindness can have on young lives. I met her again last week as her daughter graduated from playschool.
I enrolled my own children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program as a means of reigniting their flagging interest in school. The program for my children has not only shown a marked improvement in their attitude towards school but also their academic performance.
This year Mary-lynn participated in the Big Buddies program in her school as a mentor to a Grade 3 student, a role she has really embraced. Her younger brother Piet also wants to mentor younger children.
In the meantime, my passion for this organization enabled me to find my voice and bring what we do to life for prospective supporters and volunteers.
When asked what volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters has meant to me, a flood of thoughts overwhelm me. The children I have mentored have shown significant personal growth. I have felt a deep sense of satisfaction in helping to create a vision for the agency and then being involved in seeing it become a reality.
Unfortunately, the need for our agency never ends. We need more volunteers to step up to mentor the many kids in our community who would benefit from a great relationship with a positive role model. We need volunteers to help with community events and staff up our many committees. We are looking for great leaders to sit on our board and bring their strategic vision and resources with them.
One of the issues we are constantly confronted with is the “invisibility” of our results. Big Brothers Big Sisters is not about crisis management. We are not finding a cure for cancer. We are not providing relief to communities wiped out by fire.
Our impact is long term and rarely seen because our successes are declining crime statistics, reduced family violence, more volunteerism in the community, better educated and employed alumni, and happier and better adjusted citizens.
We are a strategic, long-term resource in the community and as such rarely get the big headlines.
For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters Prairies to Peaks Association, visit our website at http://www.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/innisfail
Sherry Dijkstra is the vice-president of Big Brothers Big Sisters Prairies to Peaks Association and a current mentor.
