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Big Brother Volunteers

Help a Brother Out – we need you!

Cambridge - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region are implementing a new recruitment campaign to address both agencies’ need for male volunteers.

The Help a Brother Out campaign will promote various volunteer opportunities for males seeking to give back and make a difference in their community. With the help of stories from former Little Brothers and Big Brothers about their experiences in the program, people will see the personal and community benefits of volunteering as well as dispel any misconceptions.

“Our objective is to recruit 160 new volunteers,” said Heather Fowler, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph. “There seem to be misconceptions out there on what being a Big Brother really is. It’s about having fun and even just an hour a week has the potential to make a big difference and help set a young man on a better path.”

The Guelph and Waterloo Region Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations are looking for males 18 years and older with a strong commitment to helping children and youth in their community.

“Tossing a football, grabbing a burger or watching a movie are what Big Brothers can expect as a volunteer,” said Julie Phillips, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region. “It’s about being a mentor and our volunteers are interested in developing positive friendships in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.”

Thinking about becoming a Big Brother?

Both agencies’ offer a variety of programs that volunteers can get involved with and commitment varies from approximately one to four hours per week for as little as six weeks or up to one year.

Details on how the campaign is funded:

Manulife is committed to supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters’ efforts to recruit new volunteers to address the shortage of mentors faced by agencies across the country. Since 2010, Manulife and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada have awarded over $550,000 to local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies to execute marketing campaign in their communities. In 2015, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada once again offered agencies the opportunity to apply for marketing funds. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region formed a collaborative partnership between their agencies and The Letter M Marketing group.