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The Oakville Beaver. W e d n e s d a y M a rc h 13, 2002 - C1 FOURTH LIN E AUTO C m O O O ^YE A R For AM Your C a r's N eeds Drive Clean Emission Testing Government Safety Inspection TV»»-Upe · Brakes · Exhaust ·Coding Systems CAA Approved Shop 559 Speers Road (905) 842*3001 F IH T N # next year. " It's been just incredjj)le," she said. " Better than we ever thought." To maintain this momentum, the pro gram is encouraging more mentors to step forward and volunteer their time, talents and consistent presence each week. Organizers make it clear that men tors act as friends, not tutors, and will be matched according to shared interests. Volunteers now taking part range from university students and stay-home moms to professionals and retirees. `That makes a wonderful selection for the children," says Bassford. " Every volunteer comes into the program with a gift, whether they know it or not." Bassford can't stress enough the pos itive impact an hour a week has on the children, which makes the fact there are 14 students in Oakville alone awaiting matches that much more distressing. "They're special little lives just wait ing." said Basstbid. "We're desperate in Oakville." For information or to volunteer, please call 905-339-2355, ext. 224. Mentors must participate in a screening program before a match is considered. In the bid to expand the program. Bassford said that Big Brothers hopes to get more local businesses involved by asking employers to grant staff one hour of flexibility weekly to enable them to mentor a child.'The gift of time is one of the greatest gifts one could give." she said. f t Superb Spring Sale Just as the temperatures start to rise the prices are dropping at By Consignment Many of the hottest looks for Spring are now 25% -50% o ff Come & see us, and you'll never shop retail again. B y C o n s ig n m e n t h Soonsor Official Media Media Sponsor »c Editor: Wilma Blokhuis Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 250) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: blokhuis@haltonseardi.com Big Brothers program sees everyone win By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF ook at the Big Brothers of Halton In-School Mentoring Program from any angle and you simply can't find a down side. " Everyone wins," says case manager Lena Bassford. "The children love the program, the volunteers gain a rewarding experience and the community benefits from the preventive aspect." The initia tive matches t e children love the program, e le m e n ta r y students aged the volunteers five to 12 with mentors who gain a rewarding spend an hour experience." each week in Lena Bassford, their schools. case manager The students have been identified by teachers as needing sup port. such as encouragement to learn and to build self-esteem. Conducted in partnership with the Oakville Big Sisters' Association and other agencies, the program is open to girls and boys so both men and women age 18 and up can volunteer as mentors. The local pilot program started in five Halton elementary schools last fall and to date, 30 matches have been made in 16 schools. In fact, Bassford expects to maintain 100 friendships by this time Making friends L Peter C. McCusker · Oakville Beaver In-School Mentoring Program volunteer, and Oakville Beaver staff writer, Howard Mozel, with Christopher. The duo have been matched by Big Brothers of Halton's In-School Mentoring Program. The adult match is made, not as a tutor, but as a friend, and matches are based on common interests. Volunteer says no gold star is required By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When anyone commends me for my participation in the Big Brothers of Halton InSchool Mentoring Program. I say thanks but quickly tell them the pleasure of playing with a child for 60 minutes doesn't really deserve a gold star. What I 'm told by program organizers, however, is that the value of simply spending time on a consistent basis with a youngster in need of additional support is actually incalcula ble. " It may be hard to believe but one hour each week has tremendous impact on the child." says Big Brothers of Halton case manager Lena Bassford. "Their face lights up when they see the mentor com ing and respond so positively to the relationship." With no children of my own, I confess I spent a sleep less night and an anxious morning prior to first meeting Christopher, a six-year-old Grade 1 student at St. James Catholic Elementary School. Fortunately, the awkward silences and wary glances that I imagined never materialized as my young match immediately pulled me into his world of play, no questions asked. Since then, the two of us have constructed a threedimensional Grinch complete with clothes and sleigh, created an interstellar drive-thru poster featuring alien-occupied flying cheeseburgers and made a oneof-a-kind Christmas sculpture for an elderly resident of a sen iors' home. After bouts of soc cer and basketball. I 'm not sure who is more tuckered out. Christopher or me. (I've got longer legs but he has a 38-year edge in the energy department so I guess I 'm holding my own.) The trick is to just follow Christopher's lead, since his whims run from floor hockey to Play-Doh to Snakes and Ladders -- sometimes all in the same hour. For my part, I encourage him to break free of the stay-inside-the-lines dic tates of how many others per ceive art while persuading him (not always successfully) to adhere to the established rules of Trouble. Sure, Big Brothers' screen ing process is extensive but, security concerns aside, it results in the best possible pair ing of mentor and child. A per fect case in point is the match made by Bassford of Christopher and I -- people very different in age and back grounds but two peas in a pod when it comes to our senses of humour and willingness to let our imaginations off their leash. According to Bassford, the best thing a mentor can do is simply show up week after week since this consistency is something the child looks for ward to and relies on. I, in tum, now relish the thought of tak ing a break from my workday and indulging in some Christopher-rules Tick Tack Toe and Mousetrap, which I hadn't played in far too many years. The two of us are also beginning to forge a relation ship of trust, meaning Christopher now feels comfort able enough to confide in me about what's on his mind. Nothing major, mind you. but at age six even some of life's more innocuous tribulations can be distressing. But I'm there for him -- no gold star required. Aglukark headlines awards gala Singer/songwriter Susan Aglukark, Juno Award-winner and one of Canada's unique artists, will be the keynote speaker and per former at the 5th annual Women of the Year Awards on May 13 at the Glen Abbey G olf Club. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Aglukark blends Inuktitut and English languages with contem porary pop to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada. Tickets cost $35, in support of the Women's Information & Support Centre serving the women of Halton. Call 905-847-9104. FREE SHOP-ATHOME SERVICE MOO'S Of AREA RUGS M UST SELL! 4 J · · · · · PERSIAN RUGS FROM IRAN DESIGNER AREA RUGS IN D IA N & CHINESE RUGS DISCO NTINUED PATTERNS WASHES [COME IN AND] BE SURPRIZED OFFER GOOD AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS OR THROUGH OUR Towne Square 210 Lakeshore Rd. 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