(Not-so) radical giving, day 7: Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto

Jen Knoch
Jen Knoch
Sep 7, 2018 · 2 min read
Photo by Myles Tan on Unsplash

I was having lunch with a friend recently, and I asked her about her experience being a Big Sister. She’d signed up on the recommendation of her therapist as she was working through her divorce, and many years later, though her “little sister” had aged out of the program, they were still in touch: in fact, my friend had helped move her into university.

“It was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Period,” she said.

She didn’t talk about the time or money she gave up, the sacrifices she’d made: it was all about the rewards of building a relationship with another human, watching her grow and being there for her as she could. In short, she focused on what she got, not on what she gave.

And I’m not just talking about a “helper’s high”: Harvard’s Grant and Glueck studies, which tracked the health and well-being of almost 500 men over 75 years, identified meaningful relationships as the most important source of health and happiness.

Before this conversation, when I thought about Big Brothers and Big Sisters, it seemed nice, useful in a soft-glow kind of way. Mentoring didn’t seem as measurable as, say, deworming or assistance for the homeless. But an independent study by the Boston Consulting Group found significant benefit: every dollar invested in the program led to $18 to $23 in benefits to society. They predicted that those who had been mentored will earn an extra $315,000 over their working lives. Charity Intelligence gives the Canadian chapter a four-star rating, and quotes other findings from the study: “63% have post-secondary education, they are 17% more likely to be employed . . . In everyday life, 81% report financial literacy, 80% pursue healthy lifestyles, 92% feel confident, and 96% say they’re happy. 87% of past mentees have strong social networks. They have higher community involvement, being 50% more likely to volunteer and donating 20% more money to charity.” More than just soft glow, as it turns out.

And it’s not all one-on-one mentoring: BBBS also does group mentoring, online mentoring (for people in remote communities) and in-school mentoring.

I’m donating to the Toronto chapter, but there are chapters all over Canada and the U.S. Donations are tax deductible.

You can also make in-kind donations of things like tickets to an event or that Keg gift card your grandma gave you despite the fact that you haven’t eaten beef in years. And of course, like my friend, and maybe future me, you can volunteer your time. It might just be one of the best things you’ve ever done.

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