December 2020 – Amanda Mast: Amanda has gone above and beyond in her dedication to her mentees, and has risen to challenges she had no idea would come up when she first began. Thank you, Amanda, for your commitment and incredibly deep care!
November 2020 – Mikayla Kaulback: Mikayla arrived to her groups every week with an amazing attitude, creating a consistent and positive environment for her girls! Mikayla is awesome and we appreciate all of the time and energy she committed to the virtual group programs.
October 2020 – Chelsea Jones: When COVID-19 school closures occurred, Chelsea took the extra step to continue meeting with her mentee in our virtual mentoring program, despite her college placement with BBBSG being complete. Chelsea recognized the importance of supporting her mentee during a difficult time. “Big Brothers Big Sisters makes it easy to commit to their wonderful cause to help support children and families,” she said. “She adapted tremendously to the virtual meetings and shows up with a positive attitude at each meeting.
September 2020 – Matt Medeiros & Victoria Cox: Victoria first looked into volunteering, and after realizing the immense needs of Little Brothers, she and Matt decided to volunteer together. They really wanted to help in their community in a personal way, and felt that the BBBSG programs would be a great fit for them. They just recently celebrated 4 years of being matched to their Little Brother, Keagan.
August 2020 – Tiegan Murphy: We have so enjoyed watching Tiegan and her Little grow this unique relationship. Since it has been such a positive experience, Tiegan has decided to extend her commitment length in their match. We’ve been encouraged to see the incredible level of care Tiegan has expressed towards her mentee, and are excited to see what their future holds!
July 2020 – Nathan Brown: Nathan recently reflected on the significance of mentoring. “Mentoring is both a privilege and a responsibility,” he said. “I believe strongly in the power of influence and want to share the support and guidance I was given when growing up.” Nathan has certainly put this into practice with his commitment creativity and caring despite all challenges.
June 2020 – Sheena Holzamer: Sheena reflected on the significance of mentoring and said that mentoring to her is teaching children new things, helping them evolve, grow and become more confident in themselves. Sheena has certainly put this into practice with one particular child in her group.
May 2020 – Lupita Reyes: Lupita reflected how much she benefitted from mentors in her own life as well, which motivated her to want to provide that to someone else: “Being the youngest of 4 children, I was always the mentee and not the mentor. I highly valued what my siblings were able to teach me, so I wanted to put that forward and use what I had learned to help someone with whatever they needed.”
April 2020 – Eugenio Montemayor: Eugenio is a ray of light who always greets mentees and others with a big smile. Eugenio’s favourite parts of mentoring is “understanding where a mentee wants to go and what they want to achieve.” He is witnessing the development of the mentees as they make friends and build community with their peers. He enjoys sharing his knowledge of sustainable business practices, his passion for cooking and nature with the mentees. When asked what his favourite part of his group is, he highlighted the energy his mentees had each week that they were not able to contain.
March 2020 – Jaidyn McCrae: Jaidyn really enjoys being a part of something that the students enjoy and look forward to every single week. One of the reasons why Jaidyn started volunteering with us is because she is so passionate about making connections with youth in her community in a fun and engaging way. She really values her group and works to create a space where everyone feels safe, involved, and actively a part of the group setting. Jaidyn really focuses on building strong, genuine relationships with her mentees.
February 2020 – Mackenzie Lee: Mackenzie is an excellent listener who actively works to encourage her Little – especially in the area of their artistic talents. UNO is a favourite game with these two, but no matter what game they end up playing, warmth, connection, and support are always what Mackenzie brings to the forefront. We are #BIGGERTOGETHER with Mackenzie part of our team!
January 2020 – Wesley Hayhurst: One reason Wesley wanted to do his co-op at Big Brothers Big Sisters is because he understands the importance of mentorship and an older person with life experience speaking wisdom into a younger person. This understanding is one of the reasons why Wesley’s relationships with his mentees have been so impactful. Wesley is able to relate in a very real way with some of his mentees and encourage them in their decision-making moments, to make good choices; Wesley has had some very genuine conversations about life decisions with his mentees and this has been incredibly meaningful to them as they act on and respond to his words!
December 2019 – Aaron Naismith: Aaron has built meaningful relationships with the boys in his groups while building positive and strong relationships with his co-mentors, school supports, and caseworker. Aaron’s dedication to the mentoring role is in the details: taking extra time with the program guide to plan each week, taking time to make connections with each mentee, and finding something special in each child to highlight on the last day.
November 2019 – Jessica Dinsmore: Jess has been an In-School Mentor with our agency since January of 2019. She was matched to a mentee who had some significant challenges in their personal life. Jess was able to make her mentee feel comfortable and supported right from their first meeting. As time went on, their relationship grew and her mentee opened up to Jess about all kinds of things. They enjoyed playing a wide range of games together and completed a lot of fun crafts. Her mentee had so much fun that she always wanted their visits to go longer!
October 2019 – Megan McMillan: Megan has been matched to her mentee since 2016 and they have built an awesome bond despite her mentee moving to three different schools in that time. Megan has continued to be a consistent support for her mentee and has played a crucial role in helping her mentee adapt to her changing environment. Megan has been a friend that her mentee can rely on!
September 2019 – Emily Dietrich: Emily’s Little Sister is an energetic girl who likes a little bit of mischief and LOTS of sass! This Little loves “everything!” about spending time with Emily. Emily isn’t afraid to completely involve herself in matching her Little’s level of fun and enthusiasm, and has always been able to take the challenges that come her way in stride. Leading up to the beginning of this school year, Emily went out of her way to ensure that her match started up again as quickly as possible so that she and her Little could spend as many visits together as they could!
June 2019 – Sara McEachern: Sara is a high school co-op student who created thoughtful and supportive matches with all of her eight mentees. Sara has gone above and beyond to plan unique activities that her mentees will enjoy and made all of her mentees feel valued and special.
May 2019 – Jayden Tarantino: Jayden is a caring and thoughtful co-op student who has thrived in 12 matches at two different schools. She has made an effort to connect with all of her mentees in a way that works for them, and has shown an interest in all of their lives to make match visits meaningful.
April 2019 – Hoa Nguyen: Hoa showed immense dedication though all of her matches. She was matched to three mentees in one school year and demonstrated her commitment and enthusiasm with all of them! She was able to develop unique relationships and adapted according to the needs of each mentee.
March 2019 – Emma Lewis: Emma has done an amazing job of connecting with a young boy who is extremely energetic and rambunctious. Emma has been able to join in with this child’s great enthusiasm, while helping to patiently guide him in the right direction.
February 2019 – Nicole McNey: Nicole’s mentee started off very shy, but Nicole helped him warm up very quickly. Now, Nicole’s mentee tells her all sorts of stories about his life. This mentee’s teacher also says that the mentee talks about Nicole frequently!
January 2019 – Jessica Stiles: Jessica has been an enthusiastic and perseverant mentor, consistently finding ways to connect with her very quiet mentee. As a result, her mentee feels comfortable around her and communicates with Jessica even when they don’t want to communicate with anyone else! Jessica has also been a consistent source of support as her mentee moved schools.
December 2018 – Monique Lalande: Monique has been a consistent support for her mentee as her mentee dealt with some family health struggles. Monique has been patient and understanding of the impact this has had on her mentee, and has been a person her mentee feels comfortable talking to about it. They enjoy doing a wide variety of crafts, playing games and reading together.
November 2018 – Chris Bayley: Chris has created a strong bond with his mentee, having met with him for multiple school years. Chris has done an amazing job of making his mentee feel important and cared for as his mentee waits to be adopted. Chris is a consistent role model, and his mentee truly values their time together.
October 2018 – Catherine McKerron: Catherine mentors two young ladies, one in elementary school, and one who she has been able to support as they make their transition into high school. Catherine demonstrates an exceptional level of care for her mentees.
September 2018 – Senita Kyeremateng: Senita always makes a point of highlighting her mentee’s strengths and of providing encouragement. The supervisor at the school Senita is placed at has made numerous comments about just how amazing Senita’s match is!
June 2018 – Anika Berringer: Anika is a high school co-op student who went above and beyond with her 8 mentees, finding a way to personally connect with each one of them. She struck an amazing balance of being empathetic and supporting her mentees through challenges, while also providing fun, creative activities!
April 2018 – Konrad Babol: Konrad has mentored two male youth and he has been an amazing role model to each. Konrad and his mentee enjoy athletic pursuits, while also trying a huge variety of new activities every week.
March 2018 – Evan Loree: Evan has been a very positive and supportive mentor. Through creative and thoughtful activities he has been able to create a meaningful impact on his mentee.
February 2018 – Cheyene Good: Cheyene has been matched to her mentee since October, 2017. They have an amazing connection and the school cannot believe the positive impact the match has already had!
January 2018 – Katie Sydor: Katie is another high school co-op student who really excelled in her placement. Katie went out of her way to turn her mentees’ interests into games. She built really strong connections to all 8 of her mentees, with many reporting that she was a “safe” person to talk to.
December 2017 – Hallie Babic: Hallie is a high school co-op student with BBBSG and she did an incredible job with all 8 of her mentees. Hallie was always super creative and she designed crafty activities based on her mentee’s specific interests. She related to each child so well!
November 2017 – Mackenzie Harris: This is Mackenzie’s third school year mentoring her mentee. They have become very close and typically enjoy being active together. Mackenzie has also started mentoring in our Go Girls! programs recently! Thanks for being an amazing mentor in several programs!
October 2017 – Jessica Ingoldsby: Jessica is in her third year with her mentee. She always has a new and exciting craft or activity to introduce to her mentee, and is enjoying watching her mentee grow and mature.
June 2017 – Destiny Jefferies: Destiny is a high school co-op student matched to 8 students. She was very dedicated, reliable, flexible, caring, and fun with her mentees!
May 2017 – Curtis Fraser: Curtis was matched to his mentee in January of 2016. They hit it off right away and Curtis has seen incredible growth and development in his mentee; lots of which can be attributed to the amazing relationship they’ve developed.
April 2017 – Jaime Rorabeck: Jaime and her mentee have been matched since February 2016 and they have a very sweet, meanningful relationship. They both love the time they spend together.
March 2017 – Amanda Osmond: Amanda has been matched to the same mentee since 2012! They have developed an amazing relationship over the past 4.5 years- to the point that her mentee considers Amanda her real sister.
February 2017 – Jasmine Apap: Jasmine has been matched to her mentee for 3 school years now. She has supported him through some very tough times and has been a beacon of hope when things changed drastically in his life.
January 2017 – Jaden Blackburn: Jaden was a part of the Co-op ISM Program and has done extremely well! She has been wonderfully inventive with her craft ideas and brainstorms with her mentees about for new activities they enjoy to connect with them in different ways! Jaden has a made a great effort to engage with her mentees in all aspect establishing great relationships.
December 2016 – Sophie Castel: Sophie has been matched to her mentee for 3 months and they have already done so many activities together. Sophie always tries to incorporate math into their activities and has built a great bond with her mentee!
November 2016 – Alain Vaillancourt: Alain is a part of the Co-op ISM Program and has done extremely well so far! Him and his mentees enjoy playing a wide variety of strategy and card games together. Alain is establishing wonderful relationships and has already taught his mentees certain skills!
October 2016 – Kathryn Hofer: Kathryn has been matched to her mentee for about 2 years. She has built a close relationship with her mentee, and has acted as a great adult role model for her. You can usually find them baking something sweet or creating an awesome craft!
September 2016 – Brigitta Wideman: Brigitta has been matched to her mentee for about a year. She is always full of activity ideas and is very committed to seeing her mentee. She is so dedicated to BBBSG, that she now works here!
June 2016 – Jordan Piken: Jordan has been matched to his mentee since the start of the school year. Jordan’s mentee is not always easy to get through to (few people have been able to crack this student’s shell), but Jordan and his mentee have developed an incredible relationship.
May 2016 – Cassandra Abate: Cassandra and her mentee spend most of their time chatting and playing games. Cassandra has helped her mentee through some tough times and continually offers excellent and healthy advice.
April 2016 – Shannon Bottrell: Shannon and her mentee loved to chat and hang out. Shannon helped her mentee with daily life skills and did her hair/makeup for picture day- Shannon came in a different day to help her mentee with this.
March 2016 – Rita Field: Rita is so creative with her mentee. There is never a dull moment for this match. They do crafts, baking, gym games, play outside, etc. It’s hard to think of something these two HAVEN’T done together! Rita is incredibly dedicated to her mentee and has even followed her to a new school when she moved.
February 2016 – Nia King: Matched since October 2014, Nia has been an incredible mentor for her mentee. They love to do all kinds of things, but mostly her mentee loves having someone to talk to! Nia is very dedicated and consistent with her mentee.
January 2016 – Calleagh Terry: Calleagh is a Co-op In-School Mentor who is matched with 8 mentees throughout a school semester. Calleagh is consistent, reliable, and caring, which has made her an amazing mentor to children. Her mentees love spending time with her!
December 2015 – Kevin Kilarski: Matched for 2 school years, understands mentee’s love for video games and is able to engage with them on a personal level by relating through the games!
November 2015 – Jennifer Schroeder: Going into their 2nd year of the match and is very dedicated to mentee. Jenn shows initiative in the match.
October 2015 – Elizabeth Sinclair: Matched to two mentees, Elizabeth is an amazing mentor and role model to both. She is always creative with her activity ideas, finding amazing things to do with each student.
September 2015 – Filip Bonek: Matched for 1 school year, has made an incredible difference in his mentee’s life. They connected very quickly and love seeing each other weekly.
June 2015 – Adrian Thomson: Matched for 1 school year, Adrian and his Mentee enjoy hanging out and chatting. They have been going on treasure hunts lately and using a big metal detector to find neat things!
May 2015 – Mangla Shandal: Matched for two school years, Mangla and her mentee spend a lot of time talking about the important things going on in their lives. Mangla is a great sounding board for advice for her mentee!
April 2015 – Julie Snyder: Matched for one school year, Julie and her mentee love doing crafts together and playing games. They take pictures of everything they do so they can make a scrapbook at the end of the year.
March 2015 – Charlotte Lyons: Matched since October 2014, Charlotte and her mentee love spending time together. They are both fun, creative girls who enjoy both long-term projects and quick, fun games.
February 2015 – Ela Stanivuk: Matched since the beginning of the school year, Ela and her mentee have developed a beautiful relationship. Her mentee has really blossomed under the consistent attention!
January 2015 – Sheila Stacey: Matched for 4 months to 2 students, Sheila has built great and unique relationships with both kids. They have fun together and look forward to seeing Sheila each week.
December 2014 – Stephanie Liscumb: Matched for 3 years, Stepanie and her mentee enjoy all kinds of activities. Steph commutes into Guelph to see her mentee.
November 2014 – Alok Joseph: Matched for 2 years, Alok and his mentee enjoy playing board games and sports together. Alok has demonstrated high commitment to his mentee.
October 2014 – Elizabeth Sinclair: Matched for about 4 months to two mentees. Liz has a lot of really fun and creative things to do with her mentees!
September 2014 – Emily Laevens: Matched for 3 years and highly dedicated to her mentee. They enjoy board games and other activities they can do while they chat and support each other!
June 2014 – Deb Murray: Matched to current mentee for 1.5 years and Deb was a mentor to another student for 2 years before that. Deb and her mentee enjoy making crafts, cooking, trying new things, acting, and playing with puppets.
May 2014 – Dave Piitz: Matched for 2.5 years, Dave has been very committed to his mentee and has witnessed awesome growth and increased maturity.
April 2014 – Katie Ford: Matched for 1 school year, Katie has been highly dedicated to her mentee. They enjoy playing games and Lego together.
March 2014 – Hillary Benning: Matched to 2 different mentees, for 6 months and 1.5 years. Hillary has developed unique, positive, and fun relationships with both girls!
February 2014 – Blake McQuattie: Matched for about 4 months, enjoy sports and being active together. Blake and his mentee really ‘clicked’ right away!
January 2014 – Blake Cuthbertson: Matched for over 2 years, Blake and his mentee love to play checkers and board games. Blake is very committed and reliable with his mentee.
December 2013 – Jason White: Matched for over a year, they enjoy being active together. His mentee has gained a more positive outlook on life this year.
November 2013 – Melissa DiBello: Matched for almost one year, enjoy playing games, being creative, and doing arts and crafts.
October 2013 – Pamela D’Ambrogio: Matched for 1.5 years, enjoy deciding on activities together and kept in contact over the summer by writing letters.
September 2013 – Stefanie Pueschel: Matched for over a year, they enjoy being creative at finishing projects, goals, and crafts together.