Big Buddy matches kind-hearted men with boys who do not have a father in their lives, so they can enjoy male friendship, guidance, someone to look up to and maybe even kick a ball round with. They're a fantastic organisation that makes a real difference - a cause that we're extremely proud to support. You can read more about them on their website.

The following article has been provided by Big Buddy, and gives a glimpse of the impact their work has.

But driving along one day mid 2019, he heard an ad on the radio that awoke a long held desire to help people in need. Big Buddy was asking for male volunteers to spend time with boys without dads in their lives; Dave got on the phone straight away.

“There are a lot of great charities, but when you look at many, you might only be able to donate - the Red Cross for instance. With Big Buddy, you can get directly involved. Big Buddy makes it easy to help people in that sense.”

Dave’s name is one of over 900 others on the Big Buddy volunteer register, who’ve stood in as the man to look up to and rely on, when dads of 7-14 year-old boys have been absent. Over 300 men are currently mentoring each weekend for a few hours, in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Tauranga.

Big Buddy CEO Paul Burns says the men who step up are as many and varied as the boys that mums and grans sign up. But the one thing they share are good values and the desire to contribute to a boy’s life in their own way. This is why the screening process is followed with careful profile matching once a Big Buddy is accepted.

Dave is well aware of the importance of helping shape a boy into a man with values and, not surprisingly for someone in the sports industry, he claims that team sport can have a lot to contribute here.

“Team sport is a good thing. It teaches individuals to work together, and working together is a good life skill to have.”

Dave and Rainbow’s usual plan for their weekend outings might be simple walks in nature and trips to the beach, sometimes with the dog along for the ride.

“But Rainbow has really loved a few things we’ve done, such as going to North Head in Devonport and looking around all the battlements. One of the next scheduled trips is going over to Rangitoto Island and walking up to the top.”

It’s not all about what Dave setting an example for Rainbow; the dad of three explains that he is actually gets a few lessons from his young charge: “Once, I’d planned to take Rainbow along to the playground, but it turned out he didn’t want to go. He turned to me and said, ‘Dave, the playground is for me. But I would like to do something that you enjoy too. I want to go and do something that’s for both of us’.”

Dave is aware of that sense of responsibility that a Big Buddy can develop towards a Little Buddy and says that he’s thought about it, given he still has 3 children under 16 at home himself. However, he stands by the ‘village to raise a child’ approach and says he would love to see more men taking part.

“The programme is a really great programme. I’ve told people to find out more, get involved, because it is so worthwhile and rewarding.”