"I have boys who have been waiting over three years for a big buddy," said Marie Chenard, Big Buddies of Yellowknife director of screening and publicity.

The local program is similar to the international program Big Brothers and Big Sisters except with a local spin.

The local organization is operated only by volunteers and tries to accommodate transient volunteers by asking for a minimum of a six-month commitment.

Right now Big Buddies has nine boys on the wait list and five active matches. Those listed often wait at least two years before finding a buddy.

Chenard is even turning kids away. Boys over 13 will probably be too old for the program before a buddy is found, she said. The program caters to boys and girls between five and 16 years old.

Girls are easy to match up because there are so few needing buddies and plenty of female volunteers.

"It keeps your spirit young," said Chenard of her experience as a big buddy.

"You just do things for fun. When you're an adult you don't think to crawl through tubes until you have a seven-year-old saying 'Let's go'."

Dominic Perrino has been a Big Buddy to 12-year-old Ben Schonberger for five years. They go out once a week to play pool, go to the movies or fish. They are great friends and so are their families.

"At the time I was an older person, I had an empty nest and I felt I wanted to do something," said Perrino, a high school teacher.

Perrino sees Big Buddies as an opportunity to give back to the community.

Being a Big Buddy isn't about babysitting, counselling or being a surrogate parent, said Chenard.

"Our purpose is to be a friend and sometimes they may need someone to lean on."

"A Big Buddy gives a sense of community to children who may not have a lot of that in their lives," she said.

"A lot of them are lacking that role model."

The organization matches the buddy and child according to shared interests and compatibility.

The Big Buddy must pass a criminal record check, have two letters of reference and be willing to commit.

A volunteer should be able to commit to two to four hours a week of one on one time with the child doing common activities like hiking, swimming, going to the movies or bowling. For more information contact the YWCA.