REPRESENTATIVES of a long-serving female mentorship program hope community members step up to the plate to help fill an important need.
Timed with National Volunteer Week, April 15-21, representatives of Big Sisters of B.C. Lower Mainland, which provides vulnerable girls between the ages of seven and 17 with positive, adult female mentors through the Big Sisters Mentoring Program and the Study Buddy Program, has issued a call for volunteers. According to a written statement, there are currently seven North Shore girls and 66 more around the Lower Mainland on a waitlist for a mentor.
North Shore resident and Big Sister volunteer Jennifer Trost is among those speaking out about the benefits of the program in hopes of attracting more women, age 19 and older, to sign up as volunteers. Trost has been volunteering with Big Sisters since 2008. While her first Little Sister turned 19 in 2010, they still keep in touch and she's since been matched with a second young girl, Abbey. Trost also serves as a member of Big Sisters' board of directors.
Volunteering is something she's very proud of, states Trost. It gives her a sense of belonging to the community and she enjoys the opportunity it provides to help make a positive difference in the lives of others. Big Sisters is a cause she has a strong affinity for as it aims to empower girls and young women to become leaders in their own communities, she adds.
For more information on being a Big Sister, visit www.bigsisters.bc.ca or phone 604-873-4525, ext. 300.
