Document Name Start Something

Winter 2015

Big Brothers Big Sisters Annual Holiday Party A Big THANK YOU to all who attended our annual Holiday Party. A great time was had by over 300 people in attendance as they enjoyed the festivities and the spirit of the season. Children and volunteers from many of our programs were invited to attend. We appreciate the hard work of our Special Activities Committee: Nathan Horbatiuk, Marci Karol, Jason Parent, Andy Sullivan, Mary Verstick and Mike Waronchak for planning this event and making it a huge success! Also, a special thank you to TD Wealth Private Investment Advice for raising funds to help purchase gifts for the children, Mastermind Toys for providing a special discount for the toys and wrapping the gifts and Das Photo Booth for donating the services of their photo booth for the evening.

Document Name BIG Updates A Message From The Executive Director ~ John Sutton

On behalf of our Board of Directors and Staff, I’d like to wish each of you a very Happy New Year. We ended 2014 with a BIG bang at our annual Holiday Party. We had over 320 volunteers and Littles attend the event at the Fogolar Furlan. In addition to a great pasta dinner and fabulous entertainment provided by Siena Browning-Morgan, each child was able to choose a book donated by Scholastic Books and our friends at A Book of My Own and they received a holiday gift as well. Thank you to the Special Activities Committee members for all their hard work in putting on this wonderful event. As we move into a New Year we have many goals we would like to achieve in our programs. We will be expanding our Community Based Mentoring in both the City of Windsor and the County of Essex. We have a goal of increasing by 40 matches so if you know of anyone who is interested in becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister please refer them to our website where they can begin the online orientation process. We will also be piloting a new Teen Mentoring program in the winter semester. Teens from a local high school will act as mentors to elementary school aged children under the supervision of BBBSWE staff. After a successful pilot program we hope to be able to expand Teen Mentoring throughout the City and County in the years to come. When we’re in the grips of winter, many of us look to indoor activities and at BBBSWE we have just the event for you, your friends, co-workers and family members. Our annual Bowl for Kids Sake Event is rapidly approaching and the dates for both the City and County are included in this newsletter. I’d like to challenge all of you to recruit a team for one of the sessions and help us raise much needed funds in support of our mentoring programs. Remember all monies raised stay right here in Windsor-Essex and your participation helps us Start Something Big! Please help us continue to make a positive difference in the life of a child.

SAVE THE DATE! All agency and foundation volunteers, donors and sponsors are invited to attend our 2015 Volunteer/Donor Appreciation & AGM Event Date: March 25th, 2015 Location: Fogolar Furlan Time: 5:30pm– 7:00pm Enjoy complimentary appetizers, networking, and hear about some exciting agency and foundation announcements and updates. A formal invitation will be sent out shortly.

Document Name Foundation Updates

BIG thank you to TD Wealth Private Investment Advice for raising $5,200 in donations! These funds were used to help pay for gifts for the children attending our 2015 holiday party, and will also be used for our 2015 Summer Camp.

BIG thank you to Dave, Brad, Julie, Patricia and Giovanni for thinking of us when making their $50 donation through the WFCU’s new “200 Ways of Giving” program. We were very thankful and honoured to be chosen as their charity of choice. $250 was donated and will be used to purchase meals for the children who participate in our On-Site Group program! Once again, we were happy to make a donation of non-perishable food to the Annual Cans for a Cause event hosted by AM800. Each year at our annual holiday party we ask all attendees to bring an item of food which will be donated on their behalf. This year, over 200 items were donated! We encourage the children in our programs to give back to their community and become more civic minded. This is one of the ways that they are able to help others in our community!

Document Name Foundation Events

Are you looking for a fun event for friends, family and co-workers? Then Bowl for Kids Sake is right up your alley! Putting a team together is easy!        

Teams of 5-6 people Small minimum fundraising commitment ($50/bowler) Each bowler will receive 2 games, shoe rental, 2 pieces of pizza and pop Competitions among businesses, groups and individuals are encouraged! A great teambuilding and staff recognition event Fun for the whole family You don’t have to be a good bowler….it’s about getting together for fun and fundraising! All proceeds benefit the 5 mentoring programs at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex

Opportunity to earn high school volunteer hours….call for details!

INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISING PRIZES TOP FUNDRAISER PRIZE BEST DRESSED TEAM PRIZES County Event Empire Lanes 1771 Talbot Rd., Ruthven Friday, February 27 @ 6:30pm (new!) Saturday, February 28 @ 1pm

City Event Rose Bowl Lane 2482 Dougall Avenue, Windsor Friday, March 6 @ 6pm (FULL) & 8:30pm Saturday, March 7 @ 3pm & 6pm

Call Hayley at 519-945-6232 ext.13 for details! TITLE SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSORS

Foundation Updates FOUNDATION & NON-PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! There are many volunteer opportunities available with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex. If you are interested in joining a committee, helping with special events, being a bingo volunteer etc. please call the office at 519-9456232 and we would be glad to assist you. We are currently recruiting volunteers for the following:     

Foundation Board of Directors Bowl For Kids Sake Battle of the Hors D’oeuvres Sponsorship Committee Special Activities Committee

Help support Big Brothers Big Sisters by purchasing your Nevada tickets at Clancy’s Variety on Seminole Street in Windsor, Lynn’s Variety in Amherstburg and One Stop Video & Convenience in Lakeshore.

If Bingo is your game, head on down to Paradise Bingo on Dougall Avenue in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters!

SAVE THE DATE! May 21st, 2015 Caesars Windsor ~ Augustus Ballroom

Program Activity SCHOOL-BASED MENTORING PROGRAMS “I have been a part of the In-School Mentoring program and have loved my experience with it so far. During this time we have played many games together, done crafts, and have been able to just sit and talk. There’s no pressure on my relationship with Constance as it is very relaxed. She and I can spend our hour playing games, being silly, and talking. Constance has also begun to open up to me about her life and has allowed me to offer her support and encouragement. She and I are both really enjoying our In-School Mentoring relationship and look forward to it continuing for a long time.” Lauren, In-School Mentor

“Being a Go Girls Mentor is a wonderful and amazing experience. I have been a mentor for 6 months now and I have truly gained insight on how important it is to the girls to have a strong positive role model in their lives. It feels amazing to know that we are impacting these girls in a positive healthy way as we build a strong friendship with all the girls, helping them and supporting them each and every week. I highly recommend that everyone should get involved in being a mentor for Big Brothers and Big Sisters. It is not only rewarded to the child but it is a learning experience for yourself too.” Kellie, Go Girls Mentor start something

Program Activity COMMUNITY-BASED MENTORING PROGRAM Looking for winter activities? Check out some of these suggestions below: ExploreWE is a helpful guide to many of the exciting things Windsor-Essex has to offer. You can access ExploreWE through the app store on your smartphone or online.  The Little Big App can also be accessed through the app store on your smartphone or online at www.thelittlebigapp.com.  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada is also on Pinterest with lots of activity ideas. You can find this resource at www.pinterest.com/bbbscanada 

Don’t forget that there is free public skating available over the winter season at Charles Clark Square in Windsor. Be sure to check it out!

Did you know… 

There are currently 74 matches in our Community-Based Program 

There are 85 children/youth waiting to be matched

County Information ~ Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex – 2015 County Updates Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex is happy to welcome the 2015 New Year! Our county matches had a great time attending our annual Holiday Party. Matches were able to enjoy a delicious meal while Littles received a gift and free books. Many of our county matches also took part in having their pictures taken at our free photo-booth and enjoyed “getting their groove on” with some fun dancing games to end the evening. Thank you to all the county matches who came out to participate! The number of county matches has continued to increase over the 2014 year. It is my own, as well as the agency’s continued initiative to enroll new Bigs and Littles from the county areas of Amherstburg, Essex, Leamington, Harrow, Belle River, Kingsville, and surrounding areas to help create beneficial and influential county matches. For more information on becoming involved in a county match, please contact me at (519) 945-6232 ext. 14 or at [email protected]. I am looking forward to what the New Year has to bring and hope that our presence in the county continues to be strong and BIG! Thank you for your continued help and support of our agency’s efforts. ~ Ellisa Bastien

ProgramActivity Program Activity Pr og

Are You A BIG Deal? Volunteers Needed! We are always in need of volunteers for all of our programs. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering for our agency or want more information about our programs, please go to www.bigbrothersbigsisterswe.ca and complete our On-Line Orientation Session. If you are unable to complete our On-Line Orientation Session, please call the office at 519-945-6232 and we will schedule an In-person Session with you based on your availability.

GROUP MENTORING PROGRAM Group Mentoring Programs offer opportunities for our Littles to spend time with adult role models, socialize with their peers and engage in a variety of educational and recreational activities. AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM Tuesday’s Co-Ed Group -Boys and Girls 6-11 yrs. January 13-May 26, 2015—4:30-6:30PM Wednesday’s Co-Ed Group-Boys and Girls 12-17yrs. January 14-May 27, 2015—4:30-6:30PM The After School Program has been underway since October and has been lots of fun for those who have participated. Make sure to call the office at 519-945-6232 (X18) and speak to Donna, Kyle or Amy if you are interested in attending.

Congratulations to those celebrating the anniversary of their match and good luck to our new matches and rematches!

Document Name Agency Information The newsletter is published by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex as an information service to its members, alumni, volunteers, supporters and others interested in the work of our agency. For more information about the newsletter or our agency, please contact our office. 3050 Jefferson Boulevard Windsor, ON N8T 3G9 Phone: 519-945-6232, Fax: 519-945-8032 [email protected] www.bigbrothersbigsisterswe.ca

Agency Board Members Chris Busch—President Lindsay Rounding —Vice President Tom Lynd—Past President Stephen Greff—Treasurer Jacquie Reaume—Secretary Kavaughn Boismier Jayme Lesperance Kieran McKenzie James Sarkis Priya Sehgal Mark Tesolin Bob Speroni

Foundation Board Members

Your Support Will Start Something BIG! Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex is a not-forprofit organization supporting youth, families and adult volunteers in mentoring relationships where youth gain life experience and achieve personal growth. Our programs and services meet the needs of over 400 children and their families on an annual basis. As Windsor Essex’s leading child and youth mentoring charity, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes a difference in our community by providing children in need with one‐to‐one mentoring services that are proven to help kids stay in school, avoid risky behavior such as bullying, and grow up to be more civic‐minded adults. We rely on the generosity of corporate sponsors, grants, community partners and individual donors to provide the funding we need to run our programs and services. Please consider Big Brothers Big Sister of Windsor Essex as your philanthropic priority. Your support will help to start something BIG in the life of a child in our community!

Chris Busch – President Stephen Greff – Treasurer Holly Ing

Thank you!

Marlene Corey

Egidio Sovran

You can donate online by going to:

Agency Staff Executive Director John Sutton, Ext. 11 Director of Programs Rose Culmone, Ext. 23 Community-Based Mentoring Coordinators Ellisa Bastien, Ext. 14 Linda Souligny, Ext. 27 Kelly Massender, Ext. 28 School-Based Mentoring Coordinators Nicole Seguin, Ext. 24 Kellie Abbott, Ext. 25 Brittany Davidson, Ext. 26 Alexandra Kenney, Ext. 32 Group Work Coordinator Holly Audet, Ext. 18 Office Manager Barbara Browning, Ext.10 Bookkeeper Candice Phillips, Ext. 22

www.bigbrothersbigsisterswe.ca and click on the ”Donate” tab at the top of the home page

We are looking for photos and stories that capture the essence of who we are. Send us your ACTIVE, BOLD, ADAPTABLE, RESPONSIBLE, INSPIRING photos! Send to: [email protected]

Affiliations 

Member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada

Foundation Staff Executive Director

Hayley Morgan, Ext. 13

Development Assistant

Vicki Hedge, Ext. 12

Proud funded partner of: