There’s always a lot going on at Big Buddy. We are active in the media – in print, television, radio and Facebook – sharing our mentoring stories and news about everything from expansion plans to funding successes. Many of our stories come fresh from the field via coordinators, Big and Little Buddies, and mothers. They are always a good read!
We’d love to hear your stories about mentoring – please send them to us (here).
When we talk to families involved in the Big Buddy programme, one thing always stands out: everyone benefits – the Little Buddy, the Big Buddy and Mum. Wellington’s Laura Virgo, Mum to Jonathan, has kindly agreed to share what her son’s relationship with his Big Buddy, Kevin Stevens, means to her. Kevin rings his young …
Recently, before we found ourselves in Level 4, our Hamilton Big and Little Buddies battled it out over laser tag! It was “game one” to the Little Buddies…but after a quick huddle, the Big Buddies took out the second game! Always a great opportunity to catch up and connect with each other, eight matches of …
Big Buddy Mentoring Trust – Auckland Head Office Big Buddy is a registered charity that exists to make a positive difference for 7 – 14 year old boys who don’t have their dads in their lives. Courageous, brave mums and caregivers bring their precious boys to us to help fill a gap. Incredible men step …
This week Big Buddy celebrates an incredible milestone of 1,000 matches of boys whose dads are absent, with good guys from the community, forming long-standing supportive relationships. We spoke to one of the first Big Buddy matches who met 22 years ago and are still in regular contact. In fact, they are family. Josh Goodwin …
Nadine – An extraordinary mother and grandmother It is almost impossible to get Nadine Ledingham to talk about herself. Even for a Mother’s Day story! With five grandchildren aged two, four, nine, 10 and 17, plus her 93-year-old father living with her, Nadine isn’t used to focusing on herself. The incredibly generous and loving grandmother …
Celebrating the wonderful mums and mother figures in our community! Read More »
Thanks to an inconveniently timed lockdown, our final Big Buddy Day Out of the season was looking very precarious… However, with a bit of determination, we were finally able to hold the Auckland day out at Cornwall Park for over 70 big and little buddies and Big Buddy staff – an extraordinary turnout! The sun …
Big Buddy Day Out – The Annual Tug-of-War Challenge Read More »
At the end of February, we had the privilege of hosting the annual Wellington Big Buddy Day out at Brookfield Outdoor Education in Wainuiomata. Luckily and slightly surprisingly, the capital decided to play ball for us providing a stunning day with barely a breath of wind! Each year our Big and Little Buddies look forward …
To kick off the year with a bang, the first-ever Tauranga Big Buddy Day Out was hosted with 24 Big and Little Buddies in attendance, some even coming from as far as Hamilton to join the fun. The sun was out, and the boys were ready for a swim! Grant, Paul and 5 other …
One of the highlights on the Big Buddy calendar is the annual Car Rally event. This year, as the country went in and out of lockdown, the events were looking precarious at times… But, with much planning and organising from the team and supporters, we were so happy to hold fantastic Big Buddy Car …
When Big Buddy mentoring manager Matt Anderson-Smith searched the charity’s Waikato volunteers to find the perfect match for teen Kei Ellis-Rose, he struck gold. Kaleb Whyte, a crown prosecutor in Hamilton, enjoyed the gym like South African-born Kei, along with food, fitness and running. They also had similar holistic approaches to life, since Kaleb …
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