We are excited to announce that 1103 children were mentored in 2009 across all our programs. This would not be possible without such a motivated and enthusiastic team of employees.

We are thrilled to be celebrating Eric Lapierre's third anniversary as a Mentoring Coordinator, Mentoring InSchool with Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa (BBBSO)!

Eric has been part of the programs team since February 2007. His contributions to the Mentoring InSchool program have lead to higher volunteer return rates and the creation of new partnerships in elementary/middle schools across Ottawa. Most recently he has also headed up our campus recruitment strategies and assisted with planning our first Corporate Engagement Workshop to be held in Spring 2010.

Eric decided he wanted to work for BBBSO because he was looking for a change from the work he was doing at the time. As a former Big Brother, he already knew what BBBSO had to offer volunteers and was intrigued by becoming a staff.

When asked what has kept him here for 3 years, he told us "I enjoy the work and the people I interact with. It is great to see new relationships between a Big and a Little created and continue after 2, 3 or even 4 years. "

Eric is very proud of the overall growth in the Mentoring InSchool program. "When I first started, I had a little less than 70 matches and only 23 of those matches came back the following September, which is less than 25%. Over the past 3 years, those numbers have jumped to close to 100 matches during a school year, with being in 40-50 schools during that time, and the retention rate has almost tripled to 75%. With the retention rate being high, I would hope to say that I am helping create longer lasting matches and friendships that benefit the Big, the Little and BBBSO."

Eric's dedication and passion have definitely made a BIG impact to BBBSO's vision to see all children in Ottawa have a mentor.