Vancouver, BC, January 28, 2014 – On Saturday morning at Seymour Mountain, a group of Little Brothers from the Big Brothers mentoring program smashed a monster clad piñata symbolizing the lengthy waitlist of other local boys waiting for Big Brothers.

Gathered for the Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver Winter Party to toboggan, tube and enjoy the snow, the boys also became part of the awareness campaign the charity is currently running.

The ‘Waitlist Monster’ has appeared on Big Brothers’ social media channels for a few weeks with promises to shrink the more that people apply to be Big Brothers or people share/ like the image. With a current waitlist of 64 boys, 13 of whom are North Vancouver residents, the charity is desperate for volunteers.

“The monster campaign has helped bring some serious awareness to what is actually a really sad situation,” explains Rose Baraty, Volunteer Intake Coordinator at Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver. “It was fun to see some of our existing Little Brothers take part in helping other kids.”

Children in North Vancouver are currently expected to wait one year to be matched with a Big Brother.

 About Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver

 Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver helps boys aged 7 – 14 who have limited to no contact with their fathers and are, as a result, considered at-risk to not reach their full potential. Matching them with positive adult male role models, the charity sees compelling impacts on boys who develop more confidence, perform better academically and are less likely to succumb to peer pressure. One in four local children is raised without an active father.

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