Fredericton, Oromocto Big Brothers and Big Sisters facing volunteer shortage
Legere first got involved with BBBS when she moved to Fredericton from Moncton for work 35 years ago. Missing the time she had spent with her nieces and nephews, Leger signed up to be a big sister and was paired with 10 year-old Rhea Bowen.That meeting sparked a bond that has lasted over the last three and a half decades, as the pair bonded over a shared love of ice cream, board games and baking.
“She’s been with me for pretty much every difficult moment in my life and also pretty much every positive moment,” Bowen said. “It’s quite empowering when you know that person is always going to stand beside you no matter what’s happening in your life and a lot of children don’t have that.” Bowen has also volunteered and been board member since aging out of the program. She says it provides kids with much needed validation and an additional adult presence outside of the family environment.“The word I would use to describe it, I used to say life-changing, but I’ve moved it to this idea of, for a child it’s life affirming,” she said. “It’s that somebody sees you, somebody hears you and somebody thinks you’re special.
“I’m just so grateful that I had all of those moments over these years in order to help me be who I am today and to get where I am today and where I am as a person, because the road could have been much more darker,” she said. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up on the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Fredericton and Oromocto website.
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