Since 2020, Bron Nurkowski has spent his Decembers sculpting snow statues in his front yard in the Lakeview neighbourhood of Regina.

But since 2023, the statues have taken on a new meaning besides just a good-looking yard decoration.

They now serve as a call to action for those who may want to volunteer or donate to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Regina and Area.

This year’s design, a Santa head and an American sign language symbol, was inspired by Nurkowski’s wife Karen.

“She happens to be a sign language interpreter, and one of the most well-known signs is the I love you sign. And so out of respect to her and respect to trying to generate that image of how you can represent love, that’s how the hand came up,” he explained.

Amy Mohr, the development and communications director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Regina and Area, is thrilled that Nurkowski’s display is spreading the word about their cause.

She told CTV News there are currently over 55 children on their waitlist for mentors.

“We’re always, always, always looking for mentors, especially male mentors. And if you think of mentoring or you think of a charity in Regina, we hope that you think of Big Brothers Big Sisters and invest in our mentoring programs or consider volunteering,” she said.

According to Mohr, Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentoring organization that matches children and youth who are facing adversities with safe, screened, and trained volunteer mentors.

“That mentoring relationship can change the trajectory of that child’s life. Kids who are mentored have higher self-esteem, they have more self-confidence, they get better grades, they go on to graduate high school,” she explained.

With Christmas being the season of giving, it fits the bill of what the organization is looking for in mentors, people willing to give their time to those in need.

“They’re giving of their time. And that’s a really important thing for a young child that just needs that cheerleader, that champion, someone to listen to, someone to talk with,” Mohr said.

Nurkowski said his sculptures are about spreading smiles and love, which is also fitting for the Christmas season.

“It’s something more than just a smile, because these smiles and the memories, it creates a very positive attitude on youth, and on older people as well too. And I think there’s a positivity and people really kind of start giving back to the community and then giving them some self-esteem, pride, confidence, and in turn, hopefully they pay that back,” he said.

“So, it’s just the circle of giving back and, hey, the world needs more smiles, and it needs more love, so the more we can pass it around, the better off we are.”