I first started with BBBS as an In-school Mentor and after my first two matches moved to a different community or school, I met my third match, Tannan, a little girl in grade one.  As the mother of three almost grown boys, my only request of BBBS, was to match me with a little girl, I was desperate to add some pink to my life!  Tannan was as far from a "girly girl" as you could find.  She was the only girl in a family of six children.  She walked like a boy and talked like a boy; if it wasn't for her two beautiful braids, she almost looked like a boy. Tannan and I spent every Wednesday together for the better part of two years.  She struggled academically to keep up with the kids in her class, received a ton of extra help from wonderful teachers and their assistants and the last thing she wanted when I visited was to read again.  So, we played games, went to the gymnasium to play badminton, went outside where she could swing to her hearts content, did a few crafts and yes, we read a book or two.  

Tannan was facing a very unstable situation at home and I soon realized that as an In-School Mentor, I couldn't give this little girl what she needed most of all - someone to be there, no matter what.  I talked to our caseworker and immediately began the process of moving our relationship to the next level; I wanted to be her Big Sister!  Within about six weeks we celebrated Tannan's 8th birthday with our first outing as Big and Little. Tannan has moved quite a bit throughout our match and thankfully I have been able to stay connected and find her each time.  What’s more important is that she knows that I will find her no matter what and that knowledge has helped to give her a confidence she has never had before.  Today, Tannan wears skirts and dresses; she curls her hair and at times can be what she calls a "girly girl", but she also loves to play football and play on the playground.  We have had manicures together, shopped for skinny jeans, been to countless movies (can't wait to see Eclipse) spent many, many hours doing our nails only to break them catching a football or swinging on the playground.  

Now Tannan loves to read, often gets 100% on her spelling tests and truly enjoys going to school and I am so proud of her accomplishments!  Two years ago, my youngest son Michael, at the age of 18 became a Big Brother to Tannan's 12 year old brother, Rennie.  It has been amazing to not only be a mentor to a wonderful little girl, but to mentor my son as he discovers all that being a mentor has to offer.  He called me after his first visit with his match and said, "You didn't tell me how wonderful this is!”  Of course I had, but I also knew he wouldn't understand what I meant until he experienced it for himself.  Our entire family has become a part of this experience; our eldest comes skating with us, our middle son helped Rennie to choose his first guitar and gave him his first lesson and my husband often accompanies Tannan, Michael, Rennie and I on our outings.  Christmas Eve at our house is incredible, as together with our family, Michael and I experienced the joy of two smiling faces around our dinner table as we share what has become Tannan and Rennie’s favourite meal.   Being a Big has truly become a family affair in our household!

We recently celebrated Tannan’s 12th birthday with an outing to our family cottage.  Michael and his wife, Rennie and another brother joined us at the cottage for the weekend and the smile on Tannan’s face told the story all weekend.  We hear often about the magic of mentoring for the kids we work with, but I have learned so much from Tannan.  She's taught me about resiliency, patience, understanding, another culture and most importantly about unconditional love.  I know that I receive as much as I give and my world would not be what it is today if it wasn't for a little girl with beautiful black braids!  Last October, I was honoured to receive the Female Mentor of the Year award from BBBS Edmonton and I think Tannan said it best when she told everyone that she was “glad we had each other in our hearts”!  Being a mentor literally fills my heart.