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WELCOME FRANKLYN!

Franklyn Searle will be joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara as the Director of Development and Communications starting April 3! Franklyn has been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters for 8 years as a Big Sister. Franklyn brings with her a wealth of fundraising and marketing experience that will be an asset to our Niagara wide team! 
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

February was a month filled with team-building fun and activities for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara. Our amazing staff attended a team-building activity using the Strengthsfinder tool led by Maryann Kerr.
The team got to know one another and shared our individual and collective strengths.
On Valentines Day both the Welland and St. Catharines offices did some crafts and had some heart shaped treats.
WE HAVE A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT!
Please follow our new social media account, @BBBSNiagara. We can be found on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
Our staff went all out for Pink Shirt Day this year in support of anti-bullying!
We even got our pets involved!
ATTENTION CURRENT VOLUNTEERS!
Please check your email for your invitation to our first Niagara wide Volunteer and Funder Recognition Night on April 5, 2023 sponsored by Vintage Hotels. 
A DAY OF FUN AT HEARTLAND FOREST
Where can you find crafts, hot chocolate, smores, animals, nature, dinosaurs and hiking trails? At Heartland Forest’s Winterfest!

On Saturday February 25, 2023 Heartland Forest held their annual Winterfest, a day of fun for the whole family. The event included a toasty fire pit with s’mores, yummy hot chocolate, their signature Tundra Trek on the trails, a petting zoo and craft station, interactive exhibits inside the Nature Centre and so much more! The best part is the event is accessible to all in keeping with Heartland Forest’s passion for all ages and all abilities.

Our waitlist littles and matches took advantage of the festivities as 15 tickets were donated to BBBSN and we also purchased additional tickets. Serena and Nigel, as seen in the picture, are two siblings on the waitlist who attended Winterfest.

Thank you to Heartland Forest for hosting this wonderful event and for donating tickets to the agency. We look forward to next years event and encourage all to attend.
On February 1st, Josh McKernan (Fund Development Specialist) and Hilary Kellam (Volunteer Enrollment Coordinator) delivered a presentation to the Probus Club of Niagara North.

The purpose of the presentation was to engage seniors in BBBS Niagara volunteer opportunities and spread awareness about the great work our organization completes for youth across Niagara. The presentation was very well received and members asked many great questions.

A big thank you to the Probus Club of North Niagara for hosting Josh & Hilary! 


Hilary Kellam & Josh McKernan then visited the Rotary Club of St. Catharines on March 9th. The pair enjoyed speaking to this wonderful group about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara’s various volunteer programs, upcoming events and the impact in our community. The pair also learned about the fantastic work Rotary is completing in our local and global community. A big thank you to the Rotary Club of St. Catharines for hosting Hilary & Josh!


On January 16, Tyler Lowther (Mentoring Coordinator) and Amy Alderson (Caseworker) attended the Brock University Volunteer Fest.
 
This was an opportunity for students, staff and faculty at Brock University to find an organization to volunteer with throughout the year.
 
Tyler and Amy engaged with the Brock community and talked about all our different programs and how to get involved with BBBS.
 
Thank you Brock University for having us!

And CUT! That's a wrap everyone for Tim Hortons Bowl For Kids Sake 2023!
 
Thank you to all that supported this event on February 25 and 28 at Parkway Social in St. Catharines. We were so excited to see everyone back on the lanes and in costume for our Night At The Movies Theme.
 
Thanks to the support of all our bowlers, donors and sponsors this event raised $83,750.89 to help take 60 children and youth off our waitlist!

 
 
See you at Bowl For Kids Sake 2024!
Congratulations to our costume contest winner for February 25 - Ed Learn Ford Mustangs
Congratulations to our costume contest winner for February 28 - 101 Debt Ratios




Thank you to our top fundraiser, Jim Brickell with Ed Learn Ford.

Individually Jim raised $2425, together his team raised $4510


Thank you to all our business partners and donors who participated in Project Snowflake.

The campaign ran from October 15, 2023 until February 28, 2023.

Stay tuned as we gather the results!
Volunteers are needed for this event! If interested in volunteering, please contact fill out the following form to sign up.
To be eco-friendly, we are asking that you BYOB (Bring Your Own Bags) to the Garage Sale to bring your new found treasures home!
Get ready to golf this June for BBBS!
ATTENTION MATCHES!
Check your email for your invite to our Big
Scoop Little Scoop Ice Cream Bonanza
Thank you Delta Bingo and Gaming for helping to fund our impactful mentoring programs.
Thank you to Rogers for donating some Canada's Got Talent tickets for our Bigs and Littles to enjoy!
Big Sister Lori and Little Sister Emma at Canada's Got Talent
Big Sister Meghan and Little Sister Maddy at Canada's Got Talent
Big Brother Dave and Little Brother Nash at Canada's Got Talent

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara was the successful recipient of the City of Welland's Permissive Grant. This grant will help fund our Big For A Day program in 2023.



Thank you Grant Thorton for your donation of $5640 towards the
Tim Hortons Bowl for Kids Sake 2023!
 


Thank you to the John Deere Foundation for approving a $15,000 grant towards
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara.
This grant will help support our mentoring programs in the Niagara region.
MATCHES OF THE MONTH



Shout out to Johnny and Kieran!

They recently attended our Bowl For Kids Sake Event and Johnny also did a story with United Way Niagara.

Johnny and Kieran have been matched since 10/1/2021 and both enjoy music.
Congratulations to Cameron and John on their match graduation!

These two were able to celebrate 7 long years of friendship. Although their time at the agency has come to a close they have developed a lifelong friendship! They will be taking with them many years of wonderful memories.