Meet Rachel, our inspiring Mentor of the Month! Nearly five years into her journey with BBBSO, Rachel has been making a lasting impact on the life of her Little.

Rachel’s journey began with a desire to give back to her community in a meaningful way. As the youngest of three siblings with a large age gap, she hadn’t spent much time around younger children and wanted to gain that experience. A friend who was a Mentor with BBBS in London, ON encouraged Rachel to apply to the Ottawa program—and the rest is history!

Being a Mentor has been a transformative experience for Rachel. She shares that the role has helped her come to terms with her own life experiences. Seeing aspects of her younger self in her Mntee has been almost therapeutic, allowing her to be there in ways she wished adults had been there for her. The bond they’ve built is so strong that Rachel says she feels just like family.

One of Rachel’s favourite activities is going to the movies together. She jokes that bringing her Mentee makes watching kids’ movies much less weird—but what she loves most is seeing her Mentee’s first-time reactions and hearing the deep belly laughs that only come out in the theatre.

A cherished memory from the early days of their match is when Rachel saw her Mentee jump out of the car, yell “RACHELLLLL!!!” and run to give her a big hug. Moments like this are what Rachel holds closest to her heart.

Through their time together, Rachel’s Mentee has taught her the power of resilience. Watching her dive into new experiences without fear has inspired Rachel to set aside her own self-doubt and give things a try—even if she’s not immediately good at them. “Maybe one day”, Rachel laughs, “I’ll finally beat [her] at a game of Sequence!”

When asked what she’d tell someone considering becoming a Mentor, Rachel’s advice is simple: “Absolutely do it! It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my adult life.”

Thank you, Rachel, for making a difference and showing the power of mentorship in action!