Archive

Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrate 50th anniversary

September 29, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dufferin and District is celebrating a milestone year in 2022, as they mark 50 years of supporting one-on-one mentoring relationships between adults and youth.

The local chapter was founded in 1972.

To celebrate this banner year, the organization held a 50th anniversary gala at the Museum of Dufferin on Saturday (Sept. 24) that featured a cocktail hour, dinner, silent auction, and music by local band, The Campfire Poets.

“Tonight is a celebration of 50 years,” explained Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dufferin and District executive director, Nancy Stallmach. “This is also a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters. We used to run ‘Bowl for Kid’s Sake,’ but we haven’t been able to do that for a couple of years due to COVID. We’re doing this instead. We have around 80 guests here tonight, and we have the Campfire Poets playing. Diner is from Lavender Blues Catering. We also have some sponsors here tonight.”

The pandemic increased the burden on Big Brothers Big Sisters, and now, more than ever, they need people to step and volunteer to mentor youth.

“The pandemic really increased demand for our programs,” Ms. Stallmach said. “A lot of kids are struggling with mental health issues, and it’s coming out more and more now, so we’ve had a huge demand for volunteers. We’re always looking for people and with the demand higher than ever, we are looking for more volunteers to mentor a child.”

The Gala helped the organization raised much needed funds to help them continue their valuable work in the region.

Big Brothers Big Sisters as an organization was started in 1912.

This year alone, they have impacted over 40,000 youth in over 1,100 communities across the country.

Readers Comments (0)