IT Administrator

Bonded by the power of mentorship, Radhika, former Little Sister of 10 years, gives back to the community that raised and empowered her as she joins the next generation of Big Sisters. Growing up, Radhika watched her hardworking mother try her best to raise a good daughter. As a single parent and primary caretaker to her grandfather, her mother felt the overwhelming stress and could see her daughter needing more support in her life. Although Radhika had many extended relatives, being an only child with a busy mother, Radhika felt alone. Knowing it would be best for Radhika to grow up with a female role model to who she could relate, her mother decided to seek support. Luckily, her mom […]

A Little’s future driven by her Big Sister’s Some kids have to grow up faster than others. Theresa was one of them. Her childhood was spent in and out of foster care, Theresa acted as the parent figure for her own little sister. Eventually, a family friend, she and her sister consider their ‘grandmother’, took them in her home. While she was able to provide Theresa and her sister with food and shelter, Theresa’s grandmother knew minimal English and could not talk to Theresa about everything that was going on in her life. Theresa’s social worker observed how Theresa was looking after her younger sister, trying to stay afloat in her own life, and lacking a stable source of adult […]

Volunteer Mentor Ashley and her Mentee Mariah were matched in 2011. What began as just a mentor and mentee relationship has now blossomed into a decade-long friendship. Ashley grew up in a single-parent household with her mom and brother. In her teenage years, the family moved around a lot. Oftentimes, she found herself wishing she had a constant figure of support to understand and talk to. The shifts in her life made her wish that she had a big sister growing up. Although a long-term admirer of the organization, Ashley wanted to wait until she felt stability in her life before committing to the program. At age 30, Ashley felt she was ready and officially started her application process to […]

Little Sister, Shivani, got more from her Study Buddy than help with her homework. She got the inspiration to be herself. Being a Study Buddy was my first experience of how fulfilling it can be to show up for someone else. It’s incredibly selfish being of service. It gives you a break from the problems in your own head, and when you do come back to them – as we inevitably do – they all appear smaller. – Study Buddy, Heather On the day Shivani graduated from high school, her entire family was there – her parents, sister, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even cousins. But one other person was there, too, whose presence meant a whole lot to Shivani […]

“She helped me realize and understand that people will accept me unapologetically, that I am strong and have valuable opinions. Where before I didn’t have a voice, Blair showed me the confidence I had to be who I am.” Among other personal hardships, Emma was struggling with her schoolwork at the start of high school. At 14, Emma decided to take matters into her own hands and request some form of support from her counsellor, who then referred her to the Study Buddy program. Soon, she was matched with her Big Sister, Blair. Emma was at first nervous to meet with Blair, and both were unsure of how the match would go. Blair worried about whether she would be able […]