January is national mentoring month and this month Big Brothers and Big Sisters Lacombe & District are celebrating their local matches to mark the occasion. The organization wants to highlight just how special mentorship connections are in the community.   

“We really wanted to look at those who have been giving back through service through mentoring. We've been doing lots of posts and sharing about our mentors in our community that each individual probably knows and really spotlighting them, showing why they give back, why we appreciate them, and just really showing the community that connection. [We’re] helping them know that there's lots of people around them that are providing that one hour, week and kind of what that impact has not only on the mentee but the mentor and the community,” explained Breanna Berthiaume, Executive Director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters Lacombe & District.   

 Currently, Big Brothers and Big Sisters Lacombe has 28 youths in the community who are awaiting a mentor. Berthiaume estimates there are 51 mentoring relationships in the area between both their community and school based mentoring programs.   

 “In 2022, we served 350 mentoring relationships through all of our programs, through group mentoring and one-on-one program,” added Berthiaume.   

 One aim of the social media campaign is to highlight just how common mentorship relationships are in the community. Berthiaume hopes people recognize some of the mentors not only highlight the work their doing, but to spark conversations about just how easy and fun mentorship can be.   

“Everyone has fun through mentoring, and it's for good cause. Everybody grows and develops because of it,” she added.   

Mentoring takes up only one hour a week and just about anyone can take part.  

“It really is open and that's the fun part. If you enjoy sewing and knitting, if you enjoy art, if you're enjoy sports, if you're that person who just likes to read and relax, really all those different interests and personality styles, even your background on where you come from, and your career path really helps us to create that mentoring relationship. Everybody is unique and all the youth we serve are unique and we love to see all different people come through the door,” explained Berthiaume.  

She encourages anyone who may be interested in mentoring to reach out to Big Brothers and Big Sisters to learn more about mentorship. You can also visit their website by clicking here.