A Mentoring Journey

Kevin, Lee-Anne and Kalem are three individuals who have all played different, but significant roles in our agency. Here’s how it all began…

In 2003 (17 years ago!), Lee-Anne, Kalem’s mom approached the agency to find a Big Brother for her son. She was hoping to find a positive and consistent male role model for her son, as Kalem’s father passed away when he was very young. Although it took some patience, Kalem was matched with his Big Brother, Kevin, in March 2005! Kevin and Kalem shared a love of being active and outdoors. They had a solid match for almost 10 years with the agency and were able to see one another’s lives change in so many ways. Kevin had the chance to see Kalem develop from being a young child to navigating teen years, and finally, graduating high school. Kalem saw Kevin finish university, establish his career, and have children of his own. Even though this match is no longer with the agency, their friendship remains.

Our Mentoring Coordinator, Charlene, saw this Big Brother match to their graduation in 2014. At the match closure meeting, Lee-Anne promised to return to the program as a Big Sister when she felt she had enough time to give to a child. In 2017, Lee-Anne followed through on that promise and she became a Big Sister. Lee-Anne has now been matched with her Little Sister, Emma for 3 years and they love every minute of their time together!

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The journey I embarked on as a volunteer Big Brother has been nothing short of incredible. Meeting Kalem through Big Brother Big Sisters of Langley has produced a lifelong friendship! Even though Kalem and I are no longer in the Big Brothers program we still keep in touch and get together on occasion. I had Kalem and his girlfriend over for dinner a couple of weeks ago. He’s doing very well and it was good to catch up. It is amazing to watch him thrive in his life, and I am thankful for the support of his mother and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Langley through the years! Thank you to the Big Brothers program for introducing us so many years ago!

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As soon as I met Kevin, I knew that he was worth the wait. My Big Brother is a really nice person. He is very funny and energetic. Some of the things that Kevin and I like to do are snowboard, bike and swim! Kevin has taught me so many things, like how to do tricks on my bike, snowboarding and he also taught me that it is not polite to burp in front of ladies.

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I see the impact my son’s Big Brother had in his life and I always said if I have the time, I’ll give back, and now that my son is 22, I’m trying to honour what I said I’d do and I’m loving it. I think I’m getting more out of it than my Little Sister, Emma! Emma’s getting me into hobbies again such as scrap-booking, bowling, and having friendly competitions. I can’t say there is anything I haven’t liked about the process so far – I’d highly recommend it! It was instrumental in my son’s life. As important as it is for a child to have a mentor, it’s just important for an adult to have someone. It’s so nice to see the world through a young girl’s eyes again.