When Jacob Rohloff was 12 years old, he met Jon Thompson.
The two were matched up through the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Calgary and Area’s In-School program, about a year and a half following the death of Rohloff’s father.
“My mother saw it as a way to have a positive male role model in my life,” said Rohloff, who is currently a first year biology student at the University of Alberta. “Jon ended up being someone I could talk to. Not a father figure, but a mature friend.”
Rohloff and Thompson spent six years together with BBBS. Beginning in the In-School program, the pair soon started in the Community Mentoring program. Together they would do a variety of outdoor activities such as biking, hiking and skiing.
“Jon challenged me to find something I was passionate about,” said Rohloff, a graduate of Cochrane High School. “He wanted me to have a goal and a purpose.
“Without Jon, my life would be very different. There is a high likelihood I wouldn’t be in university. I’d be a different person.”
Currently, there is a list of 22 Cochrane-area youth who are waiting for a mentor like Thompson, said Sandra MacKenzie, the local BBBS program coordinator. While the wait list includes mentees across all four of BBBS programs (Empowering Mentoring, In-School Mentoring, Teen Mentoring and Community Mentoring), she said the biggest need is for mentors for the In-School Mentoring program.
This particular program matches up an adult mentor with a student in Grade 1-8 for one hour.
“What they do with that hour is up to the mentor and the mentee — usually it’s a fun-based, relationship-based activity,” said MacKenzie.
Yvonne Heerema began mentoring with the In-School program six years ago. A former doctor, Heerema started volunteering with BBBS after leaving her practice. Currently, she mentors two girls — a Grade 4 student from Banded Peak School and a Grade 9 student from Springbank Community High School.
Heerema meets with the girls over their school’s lunch hour. She said she talks with the girl’s about goal setting, answers questions and plays simple games.
“I don’t do anything special with the girls — we do whatever they want to do,” she remarked.
Studies from BBBS echo Heerema’s sentiments. According to an email from David Case, the group’s communications and marketing specialist, children and youth with a mentor are twice as likely to have high levels of school commitment and to have high academic achievement. As well, of BBBS mentees, Case said 81 per cent reporter being financially literate, 80 per cent have a healthy lifestyle, and mentees earn an average of $315,000 more in their working lives.
Currently, MacKenzie is recruiting for male and female mentors in the Cochrane area. For additional information on the program, contact Sandra MacKenzie at 403-771-4341.
