Squamish resident Andrew Thom has been volunteering as a Big Brother since 1980. Although he has moved to three different cities over the last thirty years, one thing remained consistent: his motivation to put something back into the community. By volunteering as a mentor to a boy who needed someone to look up to, Andrew has positively influenced the lives of boys in each community. So what was it about the Big Brothers program that kept Andrew signing up over and over again?
“I didn’t expect to have such strong friendships with my Little Brothers,” says Andrew. “It seemed to just fit for me personally. The time isn’t fixed and you can do things on your own time without having people tell you what to do or when it has to be done.”
In 2005, Andrew was matched with an eleven year old boy named Jordan. At the time, Jordan’s father hadn’t been around for the past while and needed a positive male role model in his life. After speaking to a few friends who had Big Brothers themselves, Jordan decided to ask his mom if he could have a Big Brother too. Now almost six years has passed and Andrew and Jordan’s friendship is stronger than ever.
“I’ve gained more confidence because of Andy,” says Jordan. “It was really cool to know that adults have fears too. Big Brothers gave us tickets to go Zip Trekking together in Whistler one year. I remember being scared out of my mind and Andy was scared too. It was cool to know that we could conquer our fears together.”
Jordan is now in high school and plans to study game-design at the University of Victoria. He says the through Big Brothers he’s been able to experience things that his mom wouldn’t normally have the financial means to support like sailing or going to a Canucks game.
“There are a lot of benefits to this program. I’m not just talking about the free game tickets or camping trips,” says Jordan. “My friendship with Andy has always been constant – but over the years it gets stronger and stronger.”
Andy and Jordan are the only Big Brothers match in Squamish. Yes, the ONLY match in Squamish that is currently participating in the Big Brothers Program run by Big Brothers Big Sisters Sea to Sky Corridor.
To find out how you can volunteer as a Big Brother or for more information on how you can get a Big Brother for your son, Sea to Sky residents can click here. Lower Mainland residents can click here.
