Big Brothers/Big Sisters Dufferin and District

Sharing Recipient Stories

2022 Dufferin County Community Grant Recipient
$5,000

Sharing our grant story

Throughout 2022 we have seen the numbers in our Community Based program coming back satronger since the pandemic started. We made 12 new matches through the year plus we supported and monitored an additional 24 existing matches. In the summer we were able to restart our monthly group outings for the matches after two years of being shut down.

In 2022 we also saw a distinct increase in demand for our programs. More families are looking for support as their children recover from the effects of the pandemic.

During this year we were able to match an 11 year old Little with a Big Brother. The Little doesn’t have any contact with his father and sometimes there have been angry outbursts at school and home. The match has been going for several months now and during that time they have started building a strong relationship. 

The Little says that he and his Big know a lot about each other and that he really looks forward to their visits. The Big says that they have a great relationship. He says that over time the Little is getting better at listening to him, especially if the Little is about to do something reckless. The Littles mom says that the Little loves his Big and looks forward to seeing him. She says that her son is always in a good mood after visits.

This year we also matched a teen whose mother had died and now lives with a family friend. The Little asked her worker at Child & Family Services if she could have a Big Sister. We were able to match her with a young woman who works in the youth justice system. The Little was able to talk to her Big about her grief over losing her mom and about other challenges she was going through. The Big has been a great support to the Little by listening and but also as a great advocate for additional support the Little has needed.

The Big feels that over the past months their relationship is getting deeper. She hopes to be a part of her Little’s life for a long time. She has noticed that her Little “seems to be in a much better place” since the relationship started.

The Little says her Big “is always very sweet to me and listens to me.” She says she looks forward to their visits and that they always have a lot of fun together. She feels her Big “knows what the right things to say are to help me with whatever issue I might be having”.

Nancy Stallmach
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dufferin & District