'As much as I'm Rebecca's Big Sister, I'm also her friend'
Posted By KARENA WALTER , Standard Staff

There aren't a lot of activities Rebecca Mattice doesn't enjoy, especially if they involve some time with her Big Sister. They go bike riding, horseback riding, swimming and in-line skating, which she's just learning to master. They also like to cook.

"She's funny and fun," the 10- year-old St. Catharines girl said. "She's fun to hang out with. She loves me and we have lots of fun together."

For Big Sister Emily Buma, 23, the feeling is mutual. "As much as I'm Rebecca's Big Sister, I'm also her friend," Buma said."Just to be a part of her life, a part of her community, a part of her world is an honour for me."The pair was matched by Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Catharines-Thorold and District a year ago. They clicked from the start.

Rebecca's mother, Joanne Mattice, said she believes it takes a village to raise a child. But as a single mom with virtually no other family, she needed more villagers and called the agency. "She's missing out, I felt," Mattice said. "She needed a role model to expand our village. We were very lucky to be matched with Emily." Mattice said Rebecca is a much happier child with Emily in her life and doesn't feel the isolation like she used to before she had that extra person. Her daughter also likes to visit with Emily's parents, so she's also getting the benefit of being around another generation.

"They get a big family sometimes," said Dena Smith, the Big Sister case worker who matched Rebecca and Emily. The program offers a sense of belonging and family to children by adding another person to be there in their lives, she said.

Smith said parents enrolling their children in Big Sisters don't have to be single -- just people who think their child would benefit from a pairing.The programs and services are free.

For those thinking of becoming a Big Sister, there is no age limit. Big Sisters generally spend two to four hours a week with their Little Sisters. Most families are pretty flexible about when they can meet, whether it's after school or on weekends. Smith said everyone paired up tends to learn something about themselves and each other.

"Everyone thinks it's the Little who learns, but it's a great experience for the Big, too," she said. Buma, a Niagara College student who also works, said it isn't difficult to schedule time with Rebecca. Going out skating and doing other activities are just fun, she said. Plus, she said it's so obvious Rebecca loves her, how could she not look forward to doing things?

"Within minutes of meeting Emily, I knew these two should be matched," Smith said. "They were extremely happy to be matched and it was the perfect match from beginning to end."

United Way contributes $98,000 in funding for Big Brothers, Big Sisters in-school mentoring and after-school programs. "I don't know where we'd be without United Way," said Big Brothers, Big Sisters, St. Catharines-Thorold and District executive director Dale Davis. Davis said the agency is experiencing unprecedented growth, with a 48% increase in numbers over last year. The agency serves 640 children and always has a waiting list.

United Way helps build Fort for teens in west Niagara
Posted By DON FRASER, Standard Staff

For four years, The Fort in Grimsby has been Matt Oswald’s home away from home. Oswald, a good-natured 16-year-old, says he's been “moving up in the world, slowly but surely.”And The Fort has help push him in that direction.

Matt was removed from his parents about nine years ago, due to family difficulties. He spent years living in group homes.Oswald got connected to The Fort (Foundation of Resources for Teens— West Niagara) on the advice of some friends. He was drawn into its stabilizing, sociable orbit.

“I learned how to do my resume, about preparing for the job world,” he said. “They help you with homework, they’ve got computers ... it’s a really great place to hang out, talk to people and get to know everyone. "

“I’ve made a lot of friends there,” he said.

Oswald is now in Grade 11 at Lakeport Secondary School in St. Catharines and recently got his first job at a nearby A&W restaurant. Oswald’s especially proud of his new G1 Ontario drivers license and 1989 Mustang convertible. He is considering a career as a chef, with auto mechanics a hobby. He also recently moved in with his father and stepmother in St. Catharines. “If I’m not at The Fort, I'm often at home making something fun for dinner,” he said with a chuckle.

Kelly Graszat, a youth worker at The Fort, said when she started there a year ago, “Matt was the first kid who introduced himself and showed me around as if he was staff.

“He’s always been there to lend a hand.”

Graszat said the facility provides Oswald and others with after-school programs from 3 to 9 p.m. Teens get homework help, trips, counseling if needed and job hunting assistance.It also offers programming in areas like life skills and cooking. Anywhere from 15 to 30 young people use the facility every night.“It's a safe place for everyone .. for kids who need a little extra help or a warm place to come in and play some pool,” she said.

The United Way of St. Catharines and District provides $20,000 annually for for an emergency food/ clothing/ shelter fund at The Fort. General Motors, through the United Way, also provides The Fort — and other organizations — with a community wheels van, so youth clients can go on summer outings. In recent trips, the van has taken teens to Stratford, a tennis program and trips to St. Catharines for young people needing government documents.

“United Way is critical to keeping us open,” said executive director Michael Lethby. Lethby said the emergency funds also help pay for a resource person to help run the program. “Without the United Way, it would be much more difficult — especially now for fundraising, with the economy the way it is. “They’ve been critical in keeping us (going) through this recession,” he said.

CMHA Helps Margaret
Overcome Mental Illness
Margaret remembers seeing a stranger standing on the subway platform in Toronto, rocking back and forth. She avoided him while waiting for the train, feeling somewhat afraid of the man. It would be years before she would truly understand the significance of this moment in her life. A few years after this occurred, she found herself reliving this moment. Only now Margaret had become the person she once feared. “When I caught myself rocking back and forth at work, I thought maybe it was time to take time off,” Margaret said. Time off did little to help Margaret, as she describes her personal life as “the straw that broke the camels back.”  At this time she was trying to raise a teenager while dealing with the end of a 13 year relationship and having her finances cut in half.

After the incident at work, she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. She had dealt with depression for most of her life, but until that day at the office she had been able to keep the feelings at bay. “At that point, I was feeling so low, I had no energy to fight all the symptoms that I’d been fighting for years” she said. A psychologist then referred her to the Niagara branch of Canadian Mental Health Association- one of the 46 local agencies funded by United Way of St. Catharines & District. It was here that Margaret began working with one of the associations psychiatrists and started to regain the control that the illness had taken from her. Margaret now volunteers with the CMHA and speaks publicly about mental illness on behalf of the organization, working to shed depression’s stigma.


Distress Centre- Supporting Those in Crisis… 24 hrs a Day…
Ann, a single mom, struggles with raising her teenagers alone. A lonely senior can’t handle their isolation. Jeff suffers from manic depression and has suicidal thoughts. These are just of a sampling of the calls that come through the Distress Center’s 24 hour Crisis Line, a program funded by United Way. “It keeps many people grounded when they just don’t have anyone else they can talk to”, says Becky, a volunteer with Distress Centre for over ten years. Last year, more than 10,500 distress calls came through to the Distress Centre. “Some people don’t feel they can turn to their family or friends confidentially, Distress Centre offers a confidential and impartial support system. Through crisis intervention and support, Becky and more than 120 volunteers don’t just listen to callers; they help provide a sense of control in identifying how callers can help themselves. When appropriate, these highly trained volunteers encourage callers to call back and follow up on their progress and also direct callers to other programs and agencies that offer help. Together with United Way, the Distress Centre provides a human, compassionate resource which allows for amore healthy and supportive environment in which we can live, we are a life line.

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