Big Buddy News
The force forms solid foundation for mentoring
Ken Turner may have left the police force to study engineering like so many other men in his family, but he still fosters a strong care of duty towards others. Ken is now a Big Buddy mentor to 11-year-old ‘fatherless’ Wellington boy, Ollie. The impetus came when the ex-sergeant moved to Porirua – as a […]
Pete’s wisdom of years perfect for mentoring Sean
Kapiti local and mentor Pete Hobbs, 72, is testament to the more recent wave of thinking that suggests one should put the concept of retirement on the backburner and keep on keeping busy. Pete works full time as a painter-decorator and spends a few hours each week mentoring 9 year-old Sean Burkhalter. He says […]
From teaching men’s anger management to finding mentors for boys
While finding kind-hearted male mentors to improve the lives of boys whose fathers are not around is a beautifully simple proposition, staffing and operating such a charity in Auckland, Wellington and Waikato requires a great deal of thought and coordination. South and East Auckland is no exception – areas that collectively require at least 30 […]
From UK financial markets to Te Awamutu Big Buddy
Big Buddy has almost 400 mentors working with boys today, and the same again of retired Big Buddies. June 2018 marks the start of our regular Big Buddy Interviews that share with you the valuable experience and insights of our everyday mentoring heroes. A big move to New Zealand ten years ago also signalled a […]
Little Buddy Jeremiah steals the (AM) Show
On July 17 Big Buddy was privileged to have a young man represent us on TV3’s The AM Show with our CEO Paul Burns. Little Buddy Jeremiah from Papakura agreed to be waiting at his front door for Paul to pick him up at 6am sharp, and get him into the Eden Terrace studio for […]
A heart wrenching poem for absent fathers
In 2013, a poem was sent in by a Big Buddy called Roger, and it still speaks right to the heart of being fatherless today. The writer R.E. Hinchco who penned these verses knew the plight of boys whose fathers are not around. Quite simply, Big Buddy exists to provide ‘Jim’ with some of the […]
Mentors learn lessons from boys too
As Little Buddies absorb the often-subliminal lessons taught to them by their mentors, it’s not uncommon to find a Big Buddy feeling that his young charge occasionally has the upper hand. Our Wellington coordinator, Dave Burcher, recently took an amusing call from one of his area’s mentors. Whilst out exploring Wellington’s south coast, Big Buddy […]
Key to confidence in extending comfort zones
July 2018 marks the start of our regular Big Buddy Interviews, where we share the valuable experience and insights of mentors from Auckland, Wellington and the Waikato. Auckland’s Roman Travers combines a pharmaceutical industry role and time with his young-adult family with writing, radio and TV […]
Businesses help boy develop resilience and independence
This May, Waikato boy Morgan Glover was sponsored by Go Rentals and Barworks to attend Outward Bound for a week. The 14 year-old Little Buddy trained hard to get match-fit for a course that is known to develop the very things that Big Buddies look to bring out in these boys: resilience and independence. Thanks […]
Today, you can help to change a boy’s life forever.
By donating, you will help a boy whose dad is not around to find a man he can trust and look up to, a Big Buddy.
