“They say that ‘Greg’s the best’ when he joins in road hockey with my friends. It feels good.”
Kit knows there’s nothing quite like peer approval of your “Big Brother” to generate an inner glow that money simply can’t buy.
Suffice to say, the 11-year-old “Little Brother” looks up to 30-year-old Greg Domino, who has been one of the few positive role models for the last five years of his life.
But with the waiting list for a Big Brother in Richmond at its maximum — which translates to a delay of up to two years — it’s unlikely, given his young age, that Kit realizes how lucky he is to have someone such as Greg kicking around.
“It’s all fun with Greg. Whenever I don’t have anything to do, he comes by,” said Kit (name changed).
“And even when I’m already doing something, he will join in, even when I’m playing with my friends. We go and get Slurpees or we stay here and play video games.”
As for Domino, he got into the Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver (BBGV) program for several reasons, not least because he wanted someone to play Nerf games with.
“The waiting list (for a Big Brother) is a lot worse in Richmond, so they asked me if I minded going there to be a Big Brother,” said Domino, who lives in Tsawwassen.
“I felt it was important to give back whenever I could. I don’t have money, but I have time. I was looking forward to fatherhood and that was a big part of it for me; I’m very youthful for my age, I love playing sports and playing with Nerf guns, which Kit is right into.”
Domino said, for the first year or so, Big Brothers are asked to meet with their match about once a week, in order to build a relationship. After which time, they relax a little to once a month.
“We could meet for just an hour and a half, or it could be a half day at Playland . We play road hockey and shoot hoops; anything he likes doing, really.”
Just being able to hang out with someone and having another, positive person to talk to about their lives can be very rewarding for the Little Brother, according to Domino.
“I’ll talk about life and work; for them to hear what it’s like to be normal, with a stable family life, it can be very valuable,” he added.
“His mom is an amazingly strong woman; she has several jobs, so to be able to help her is great.”
Kit’s mom, Claire (also name changed), has another son, who is 13, and is also in the Big Brother program.
So she knows first-hand the value of having positive role models impacting the lives of her children.
“(Big Brothers) did a fantastic job finding the right match for them,” she said.
“As a parent, you try to do your best for your children and you hope that, when they get older, they will come to appreciate the time people, such as their Big Brothers, put in for them.
“It’s a subtle thing. We can rely on them and trust them to turn up on time. As a single mom, that’s so nice to know.
“In terms of looking up to them, I don’t think the child realizes they are actually looking up to a person that has a stable life, with a home and a job.”
According to BBGV, they had to stop taking names for the waiting list until more volunteers step up in Richmond to become Big Brothers.
In Richmond, they currently have Big and Little Brothers of all ethnicities, but they’re seeing an increase in demand from newly immigrated families.
As such, there is a need for more Mandarin or Cantonese-speaking volunteers to come forward, so that they have the language skills to communicate with the mother of the Little Brother, for simple things, such as arranging a time each week to spend with the Little Brother.
To draw attention to the dearth of Big Brothers, and to coincide with March Madness in the U.S., BBGV will be hanging 100 purple basketball nets across the region, including 15 in Richmond, to indicate the number of potential Little Brothers on the waiting list.
“These children are in their formative years, and could really benefit from a Big Brother as they go through adolescence,” said Valerie Lambert, BBGV executive director.
To learn more about the Purple Net Project and the Big Brother program, go online to BigBrothersVancouver.com.
