We have secured a new office location in West Niagara. Starting January 2023, Big Brothers Big Sisters will have an office inside the Community Care of West Niagara building at 4309 Central Ave, Beamsville. We are very excited to be working more closely with Community Care West Niagara to support children, youth and families. Please note the BBBS office at 18 Ontario Street, Grimsby will close on December 21, 2022.

There is a still time to make a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters this holiday season! Your gift will enable a child or youth in our community to benefit from life-changing mentorship! A donation is also a great gift for a colleague, friend or family member. To donate, please visit https://nwniagara.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/ and click on the donate button.

One of my Littles, David, has wanted to play hockey for a very long time. His mom has been able to get him into ball hockey, but because of limited income, ice hockey was not an option. With equipment and ice-time, a season of hockey can cost families north of $1000. Because of this, mom didn’t think it would be possible to get David on the ice.

I help coach a program called The First Shift, which is a program for kids who have never tried hockey, and wouldn’t normally be able to afford to. Through a partnership with the NHL and a sponsorship through Bauer, families are able to put their children in 8 hour-long sessions of hockey practices and get a full set of equipment for around $200.

The program is for ages 6-10, but David is 13. However, I wanted to get him on the ice if I could, so I spoke with the coordinator for TFS, Renee, and we got him a spot. Renee and I were also able to connect with Connie at ProKids, who got half of the program cost covered for mom, as that was still a significant obstacle to getting him in. Due to his age, David wasn’t able to get equipment provided by Bauer, but we were able to team up and find him a full set of new gear from past camps.

David has been all smiles since starting the program. He has loved every second of his time on the ice, and he has already improved his hockey abilities significantly. He has been a pleasure to have on the ice, and is always careful around the smaller kids.

The best part? We have a donor who wants to sponsor a TFS kid to play a full season of hockey, as a Christmas present to his wife. Myself and Renee have both recommended David for this, and it looks like he is going to get it. So, David will be able to play a full season of hockey and have a full set of equipment for around $100.

Sports and the community that you build on a team can be essential in kids developing healthy attitudes and being physically active; hopefully by providing David this opportunity, he will continue to grow in a positive direction.

Edward Jones Curl For Kids Sake in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of North and West Niagara took place November 5&6 at the Grimsby Curling Club.

Did you see us at the Niagara Ice Dogs Game on November 26? Thanks to our friends at PetValue our agency was able to attend the game, raise awareness and do the ceremonial puck drop! Thank you to PetValue for collecting almost $400 in donations for our agency! Make sure to support PetValue when you shop for your furry friends, visit the Lundys Lane and Vansickle locations.

Thank you to WNHL for raising over $1600 for our agency at their Super Sunday Game

on November 28th!

Vintage Hotels is a long-time supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara. Every year through their Tree of Hope, donations and toys are collected for our Littles. If you are interested in participating please visit their Prince of Wales and Inn on the Twenty Locations to select a child's name from the tree. Make sure to return your unwrapped toy and tag by the dates listed above for each location.