Rotorua mentorship programme sparks lifelong friendship

Youth Charity and Community

When Luke Donnelly and Wade Meads were matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters Rotorua nine years ago, neither could have imagined it would mark the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

For Luke, who lost his dad Mike at a young age, having a mentor who was like a mate was just what he needed – Wade became a role model, a shoulder to lean on, and even just someone to debate the best car brand with.

Now that he’s 20, Luke has aged out of the programme, but he and Wade have continued their bond, staying in touch and catching up when they can.

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is a worldwide community-based mentoring programme that is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary and 200th match in Rotorua.

The programme’s philosophy is about building futures through friendships. Adult mentors are matched with a child and they spend one-on-one time together every week, doing things they both enjoy.

“Wade’s been part of my life for so long now I can’t even remember when we first started hanging out. My mum signed me up for the programme, and I’m so glad she did,” Luke says.

Lisa Beamsley, Luke’s mum, says she will forever be grateful for Wade and BBBS Rotorua.

“I can’t speak highly enough of BBBS. A good friend of mine was involved in getting the programme up and running all those years ago, and I thought, ‘this could be perfect for Luke’.

“Any hesitations or concerns I had completely lifted when Wade stepped out of the car the first time we met, with a big number twenty-three on his t-shirt. The 23rd was Mike’s birthday, and this was the sign I needed to know I was doing the right thing.”

Lisa didn’t have any expectations of the programme, but says if she had, they would have been completely exceeded.

“It’s a beautiful thing and we feel so lucky for this part of our journey. Wade and his incredible family have become an extension of ours, they are whānau to us and always will be.”

Wade became involved in the programme as he had some spare time on his hands and wasn’t sure what to do with it.

“My wife had heard the BBBS ads on the radio and said I should look into it. So I did.

“I knew I wanted to do something valuable with my time and this was perfect.”

The regular catch ups required some extra effort in the beginning, Wade would spend time planning cool things they could do together - now it’s just second nature, it’s the quality time they spend together that’s important.

The boys caught up at least once a week for the first few years, Wade would pick Luke up from school and they’d hang out for the afternoon, whether that was working on the car in the garage, going for a walk, getting shopping done for Mother’s Day or Christmas, all while catching up on what had been happening in their worlds.

Luke ended up moving to Auckland for a couple of years of his schooling, so the pair kept in touch over text messages, catching up properly in the school holidays.

“We don’t catch up as frequently any more as Luke’s busy living his adult life, but when we do catch up it’s like no time has passed, he’s part of the family,” Wade says.

Looking to the future, Luke says he would love to give back and have an impact on a kid’s life in the same way Wade has for him.

“It feels like he’s always been here, and I guess he has, for almost half of my life.

“Becoming a mentor myself is definitely something I’d be keen to do one day, the programme has been such a big part of my life, so to have the opportunity to help another kid, like it has helped me, would be awesome.”

Wade says he would absolutely recommend becoming a big brother or big sister to anyone who’s considering it, as long as they have the time to do it because it is a significant commitment.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding and we’ve had a lot of fun over the years. I know it’s meant to be about helping the kids, but I’ve honestly got a lot from it as well.”

Find out more about Big Brothers Big Sisters Rotorua here.