More Help Needed at Big Brothers Big Sisters Weyburn

With the provincial government beginning to ease up on public health restrictions the local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Weyburn is getting ready by hiring more staff and searching for people to volunteer their time anyway that they can.

"We are currently looking for volunteers of all types and we are also looking for some new directors for our board," explained Dominika Krzeminska, Executive Director for Regina, Weyburn, and Moose Jaw. "So we are looking for people that want to help children and youth in our communities to reach their full potential. We especially want board members that can represent the communities that we exist in so we would love to see more people from Weyburn join our board as well."

Applications for new board members are being accepted HERE until June 30, 2021.

Those interested in a paid position as a Mentoring Coordinator have today to still apply for the position HERE.

As well they are always accepting new volunteers and adults to be mentors for the children in their programs.

Local woman Heidi Vogel has been a big sister for two local children and she has also has mentored 13 different Go Girl Groups. During the pandemic, she facilitated the organization's first-ever Virtual Go Girls Group and their first Socially Distant Go Girls Group. In total over the years, she has mentored 92 children and left them with lasting positive memories and lessons that they can carry into their future.

"My favorite part about being a mentor is the genuine connections I have made, the heartfelt conversations, and the great times we have together," told Vogel. "Watching them grow, and being able to support them in any way I can is what keeps me committed. I absolutely cherish the kids I mentor and I feel very grateful to have them as a part of my life. They give me so much perspective. As a mentor, you feel like you are guiding them but I have really found in all of the connections I've made over the last four years that those kids are really teaching me a lot more than I think I am teaching them. Being a mentor has changed the course of my life. It's so much just about the kids and it's really a special thing to be involved with."

Vogel added that she hasn't had to devote a whole lot of her time to be a big sister for local children and she now feels as though her mentorees are part of her own family.

"I have been doing this for four years and it feels like it hasn't been long at all because they add to my life. And essentially even the ones that I've worked with within the groups for six weeks at a time or whatever, they are pretty much my family. And being in a community such as Weyburn you see these kids all the time. So even if I'm not working with them as littles I can still see them around town and I still have that connection. Being a mentor in a child's life is such a special thing for yourself as a mentor, and knowing that you are being a supportive person in a child's life, in whatever capacity that is."

This year the Big Brothers Big Sisters will be representing their organization with a float in the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce's annual Summer Parade and they will also be one of the 11 community agencies that will be benefiting from the annual televised Communithon community fundraiser.

"I feel like it is even more important right now during the pandemic for children to be able to have big brothers and big sisters as mentors," expressed Krzeminska. "There is a need in our community to be able to continue to provide those developmental relationships especially at this time when young people have not had those direct connections with others that they very much do need to have."

BBBS is also looking for people to help them out with their school mentorship program when school starts back up again in the fall and they are hoping to be able to actually go in the schools this next year if the public health restrictions allow.

You can learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Weyburn on their official website and you can follow them on Facebook to keep up with the latest events, fundraisers, and more.