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Vince is passionate about helping his community. He is an environmental engineer, and several years ago, he was looking for something to fill the flexible weekday schedule of his job at the time. With a desire to improve what he can for the next generation and prompting from a friend, he signed up to be an in-school mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. BBBS is a Youth+Us partner that focuses on the growth and development of young people in their most formative years, and experiencing the positive impact an adult role model can have in their life. Being a Big Brother is a role Vince has happily filled for the last five years alongside his mentee, Cody, and they both get to experience firsthand the impact that a good role model can have.
A Simple Act with A Lifelong Impact
Every week, Vince goes to Cody’s school for about an hour, coordinating with the faculty to find the best time for his schedule. “We get to use all the school resources, like the gym, or BBBS has a bunch of games there that we can use,” he explains. They often play sports while chatting, never letting things like “the usual rules” get in the way of hilarious games of ping pong or two-person dodgeball. “My favourite memories are the most goofy ones. A crazy save on a ping-pong shot, and a miss on the next easiest one. Those moments are really good.”
The laughs come easy because of the strong foundation the two have built over time, and the respect that evolved along with it. “We started when Cody was in Grade 4, and he’s in Grade 8 now,” Vince says. “He really likes being able to step away from all the school stuff and not think about the stress.” Vince feels the same way. “I get to go hang out for an hour, playing basketball or ping pong or whatever it might be. You don’t often get that in your office life. It’s a stress release.”
The benefits are apparent to others, too, because many of the other kids at the school have mentors – or want one – as well. “Big Brothers Big Sisters works closely with the school, and when I first started, and even up to today, the kids say, ‘I wish I had a mentor,’ and BBBS is always working on it. The kids definitely want it, they definitely enjoy it.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
For Vince, being a mentor is about making a difference and giving back, in recognition of the opportunities he himself had as a child – a ripple effect that he is now paying forward into the lives of others. “I wanted to do something to give back a little bit. I recognize I had a pretty fortunate childhood, and if I can help someone else, I want to. Even if it’s just a small change that provides some encouragement, it’s worth it.”
He urges anyone who wants to create a positive influence to reach out and get started as a mentor, even if it seems impossible to do. “It’s not as much of a time commitment as you might think,” he points out. “It’s an hour in the middle of your workday, but it gets really easy to make that part of your weekly schedule and keep doing it.”
Plus, it’s hard to quantify results that may not be tangible, but are obvious all the same. “There is definitely some impact there. He gets to stop worrying about school and other challenges, and can drop everything and have fun for a while. It may be just an hour, but that hour brings a huge benefit for Cody, and for myself as his mentor.”
