Today is the last day of Mentoring Month, and there are 167 youth on the waitlist for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oxford County.
OXFORD COUNTY - As Mentoring Month comes to a close, there are 167 youth on the waitlist for a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oxford County (BBBS Oxford).
But they're not all in Woodstock, Ingersoll or Tillsonburg. Volunteer Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Erica Hughes says they have lots of kids waiting to be matched in our smaller communities as well.
"In Courtland we have one youth on the waitlist. Dorchester we have one, Innerkip we have one, Norwich we have nine, we have one in Plattsville, one in Sweaburg, and four in Thamesford. So if you're living in one of those communities and you're one of those people that has been thinking about becoming a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters, this might be the time and motivation for you to say, okay there could be a neighbouring child that is in need of a mentor."
BBBS Oxford also offers Bigs 101, a monthly information session that you can attend for free, to learn more about mentoring and see if you have what it takes. Four people attended last night's session, and the next one is scheduled for Tuesday February 27th at 6:00 p.m. You can sign up for Bigs 101 online here.
The application to become a mentor with BBBS Oxford can be found on their website. Once you fill it out, Hughes says it could take six to eight weeks to be matched with someone because you have to go through the interview process, training, and meet the youth's parents/guardians first.
The time requirement to become a BBBS mentor is one to three hours each week and you can read more about the different mentorship programs online here.
Erica Hughes stopped by the Heart FM studio to chat with Dan and Marcie on Wednesday January 31st. You can listen to the full interview below:

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