Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Dufferin and District

Sharing Recipient Stories

2023 Dufferin County Community Grant Recipient
$6,000

Sharing our grant story

The Big Brother Big Sister program provides children facing adversity with a caring adult mentor. Children and youth who have a mentor benefit in a variety of ways from improved mental health, better relationships to improved academic achievement.

Several years ago we matched a Little Sister with her Big Sister. The girl says her Big Sister makes her feel special: “She just listens to me and she’s so supportive. She’s so sweet and kind.” At the start of their match the mentee was in applied education in high school and not taking any English classes. However, the mentor encouraged her and told her that she believed she had more potential and could excel in English and other classes. One summer the Big Sister encouraged her mentee to go to summer school to take grade 11 English so that she could be in grade 12 English the following fall and earn the credentials she needed to get into her desired college courses. This fall the mentee started college. She is enjoying her courses and doing well.