Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph campaign looks to add 50 new mentors

In a news release, the campaign is about getting "male-identifying" individuals to join and help mentor a young male in Guelph.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph (BBBSG) are going to spend the next seven weeks trying to recruit new mentors.

Starting on Monday, they are launching a recruitment drive called 50 MENtors in 50 Days.

In a news release, the campaign is about getting “male-identifying” individuals to join and help mentor a young male in Guelph.

“What we typically see is that the young boys in the community who are in need of a mentor tend to wait about twice as long as young girls,” said Michael Treadgold, executive director at BBBSG.

“So we are looking to increase our total volunteer organization base by bringing in some new, trained, and trusted adult volunteers to serve as mentors for kids in the community.”

BBBSG and other organizations that rely on volunteers are still facing challenges brought on by the pandemic.

“We have 107 young males on our waiting list,” said casework manager Andrea Azevado.

“There is an 18- to 24-month wait for a Big Brother due to the lack of available male volunteers.”