The Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver has stopped accepting new children in one Metro Vancouver community due to a shortage of mentors.
Surrey has the largest wait pool in the entire agency, with 30 kids waiting for a Big Brother.
According to Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s statement, the wait time for a Little Brothers to find a mentor in Surrey is two years.
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Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver aim to empower children and youth to reach their full potential through impactful mentoring relationships.
According to a release, the charity aims to serve over 1,000 youth through free programs in Surrey, Vancouver, the Tri-Cities, Richmond, Burnaby, New West, the North Shore, Delta, and White Rock.
Mandy Wong is the development and marketing manager at Big Brothers Greater Vancouver. She calls the development unfortunate, adding that the organization has had to stop accepting new families because of the lack of volunteers who are applying.
“This is the most urgent need for mentors I’ve seen in my five years with the organization,” said Wong.
Surrey has been hit particularly hard and there’s an urgent need for at least 38 volunteers to meet the current demand. In addition, hundreds of youth are waiting for a mentor and friend and Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver says that if you’ve ever considered being a volunteer as a mentor, the time is now.
While the need is most pressing in Surrey, volunteers are also needed in Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Vancouver, and North Vancouver.
The organization put a release out on Tuesday, which happened to be International Mentoring Day.
In 2021, the charity served 768 children, down from more than 10,000 per year before the pandemic. The loss of volunteers is partially being blamed on the pandemic.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities, click here or email volunteer@bbgvf.com.