Little Buddy Isaac and his grandma speak to News Hub.

A man and a boy in formal suits hugging and smiling happily

Isaac was just six years old when he was orphaned. His mum died suddenly, and then, just five weeks later, his dad passed away from cancer.

“What I remember of dad is he was big, he was a bear, he was kind and never yelled. Mum, she was caring,” he says.

His grandma, Shirley, said Isaac’s parents were his world. Shirley took him and his older sisters in, but she was also dealing with the recent sudden death of her husband. It was an incredibly tough time.

“He had a lot of fear about where his future’s going to go and he came to live with me and then the fear was what if something happened to me, where would he go then?”

Isaac has had more knockbacks in his short life than most of us have in a lifetime but joining the Big Buddy programme made a life-changing difference.

Click here to see Isaac and Shirley tell their story on Newshub.

All the boys in the Big Buddy programme have their own story but knowing that their Big Buddy will show up for them every week helps their sense of security and confidence.
 
Please click here to donate to help more boys living without their dads?

If you donate before the end of March you can claim a third of your donation back as a tax benefit in April.  For example, if you donate $30 you will get $10 back.

For the past five years, Big Buddy Shane and Isaac have met up weekly.  They chat and text regularly about anything and everything and as a result, Isaac’s confidence and sense of security has grown, knowing Shane turns up just for him – and will keep doing so. Will you please support Shane and Isaac on their continued journey and others like them? If you donate now, you’ll be able to claim back a third of every dollar you donate in your upcoming tax return.

Help a boy today! Simply click here to donate.

Just $50 today will help to pay for a police and doctor’s check to screen a new Big Buddy for a boy, and $250 will help to induct and train the next group of screened volunteers ready to be matched.

Reliable Big Buddies are making life-changing differences to boys’ self-esteem and happiness. However, for every boy matched currently with a Big Buddy, three more are waiting.

Thank you for the positive difference you are making.

Warm regards

Paul Burns, Big Buddy CEO

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