CENTRE WELLINGTON – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre Wellington (BBBSCW) has a new executive director.
Brad Mulligan has worked for BBBS in Waterloo for 12 years and took over the helm in Centre Wellington on Aug. 8.
Kristen Drexler left the post this summer and is now manager of community development for the Township of Centre Wellington.
Mulligan acknowledged he has big shoes to fill.
“I’m diving into the community that Kristen left,” Mulligan said in a phone interview on Aug. 24. “Kristen built so many relationships. I’m enjoying getting to know the community and spreading the message about the need for our programs.”
The BHive, the name of the centre in Fergus, officially opened in March of 2020 and promptly had to close due to the pandemic. Many of the organization’s fundraisers also had to be cancelled.
It reopened to the public as the pandemic allowed.
But despite those hits, BBBSCW is still a mighty organization, Mulligan said.
“It’s exciting to be at the BHive,” he said. “We are fully up and running and people are really utilizing the space. We have a summer camp running here right now.”
With school fast approaching, Mulligan said BBBSCW is seeking volunteers to participate in its in-school mentoring program.
These are still one-on-one matches, where a “little” is matched with a “big” who shares the same interests. But these happen one day a week during school hours at the student’s school.
Activities like craft supplies and board games are provided but the main goal is for the “big” and “little” to build a relationship and for the “little” to learn some social and emotional skills.
“It’s really just to have fun,” Mulligan said. “That’s at the core of it.”
Mulligan said the stereotype of their clients – single parent homes where the father is out of the picture – doesn’t necessarily hold water anymore.
There are families of all shapes and descriptions who find their children could benefit from spending one-on-one time with a trusted mentor.
“It’s more about life circumstances now that brings youth to us. So we are casting the net further,” he said.
With the matches, “It starts with the ‘big’ and ‘little’ getting to know each other and it’s such a feel-good moment when they click. Then it becomes easy, and each looks forward to spending the day together.”
Mulligan said while it’s true that youth have suffered from the social isolation of the lockdowns, and many have mental health issues like depression and anxiety, it doesn’t require mental health expertise to be a good mentor.
He said there’s always an assessment interview before a “big” meets their “little” and people don’t need to worry that they don’t have the expertise to do the job.
He said the website, centrewellington.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca, has lots of information for mentors and for parents wondering if the program would benefit their child.
As for fundraising, Mulligan said there are a few events in the offing – Harvesting Hope is slated for Oct. 4, and he said they have a few ideas up their sleeve for Monster Month in Elora.
Details of those events will be posted on the website and the group’s facebook page as they are ironed out.
Drexler made her first appearance in her new role at Centre Wellington’s Aug. 22 council meeting. In an interview, she said she was proud of the BHive and the collaboration with The Grove and other organizations at the hub and the work the organization did under her watch.
But the position with the township came along and it felt like a perfect fit for her, she said.
“I felt like it was now or never,” she said.
