10,000 children are waiting for matches, says Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada

It felt like the missing piece of a puzzle when Tim Green was paired up with a big brother decades ago and his whole life changed, he said.

“I saw that there was a life outside of welfare and if I was willing to work, I would get it.”

Green said he grew up in poverty and now owns his own company and house. He attributes that to the positive impact his “big” had on his life.

“I have been married for what 27 years now so a lot of that is because of that,” said Green.

He’s come full circle, recently becoming a big brother for Riley Oickle of Mount Uniacke, N.S. Riley had been on the waiting list for two long years.

“It was like it is about time,” said the 12-year-old.

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There are currently 10,000 children across Canada waiting to be paired with “big” volunteers, said the interim national president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada.

“It is not just a child, it is an entire family that is not being served because of the crisis that we are starting to see in volunteerism,” said Jennifer Arp.

Riley said the wait can make children feel like they don’t matter.

“I think they probably feel like they are just nothing, they are not even alive. That they are not important enough,” said Riley.

Arp said there has been a drastic drop in the number of people signing up to become big brothers and big sisters since the COVID-19 pandemic began and if the numbers don’t improve soon, some kids may miss out altogether.

“They age out at 18 so if we are not able to get to them then they will go into their adult lives potentially without the services and supports that they need to thrive,” she said.

It’s heartbreaking for Green, who sees himself in Oickle.

“When your little does something and reaches that goal it is like I reached it again”

Oickle is not sure where he’d be today without his big. The pair have only been together a month, a few hours a week, and are already like puzzle pieces connected in what already feels like a perfect fit.

“It is just people don’t realize what they are going to get back,” said Green.