Dedication and Loyalty, Every Day!

juliec@bbbso.ca — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The month of August celebrates 3 staff anniversaries! Sue started working with BBBSO in 2002, Sameera joined our team in 2006, and Stephanie in 2008. Each has had a great impact on the work that we do and in helping us serve 1000 children annually.

Most of our Bigs and Littles know Sue. Not because she has been with the agency for 8 years, but because Sue plans all of the group activities that our matches attend. From fishing, to skating, scrapbooking to cooking [...]

BIG Laughs for Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa

cindys@bbbso.ca — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

As Comedian Yakov Smirnoff once said: "Everybody laughs the same in every language because laughter is a universal connection."

They say laughter is the best medicine and it really is. Studies have shown that laughter reduces levels of stress and even provides a workout for your diaphragm, abs, shoulders and heart - in fact laughing 100 times is the equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike!

Laughter bring [...]

Twenty-Four Littles Participated in BBBSO�s Annual Summer Day Camp

sueh@bbbso.ca — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

For the past nine years, BBBSO has hosted a week long day camp for our Littles called Kids n’ Kops where we partner up with the RCMP 'A' Division, Ottawa Police Service, Military Police, and Ottawa Fire Department...

Le pouvoir du positif

stephaniec@bbbso.ca — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

J�aime�prendre le temps de�t�moigner de la diff�rence qu�un(e) Grand(e) peut faire dans la vie d�un jeune m�me s�ils ne r�alisent que des activit�s simples ensemble.� Il est important que quelqu�un prenne le temps de�faire cette constatation puisqu�il peut �tre difficile parfois pour les Grand(es) de�le faire�par eux-m�mes.� �

J�ai r�cemment eu l�occasion de m�entretenir avec une m�re (Sylvie*) qui�m'a t�moign� des changements qu�elle avait remarqu�s chez son fils (Joey*) apr�s seulement quat [...]

BIG Congratulations to Colleen Dunn

juliec@bbbso.ca — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Earlier this year, we asked you to share your wonderful stories of the impact that Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa has had on your life. Thank you to all who participated. We received a number of submissions from matches, Bigs and Littles as well as this winning entry from Colleen, the mother of Little Brother Devin. Here is her perspective:

My name is Colleen Dunn, and my husband passed away at the age of 42 from ALS. My children were young- my daughter was 8 and my so [...]

This past year BBBSO celebrated its fourth year of the Go Girls!

tracym@bbbso.ca — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This past year BBBSO celebrated its fourth year of the Go Girls! program. The 2009 - 2010 school year was our most successful year to date, with programs running in 17 schools throughout the Ottawa area. We had over 40 dedicated volunteers that delivered the Go Girls! program to over 200 children.

We are anticipating an even more successful 2010 - 2011 school year, and we are currently recruiting new volunteers throughout the summer months. Many of our past v [...]

Congratulations To Rob And Cindy - Both Celebrating Their 2 Year Anniversaries!

jenniferm@bbbso.ca — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The agency's strong staff team is what greatly attributes to the success of our mentoring programs. It's hard to believe that two years has already passed since Robert Eves, Executive Director, and Cindy Smith, Senior Director of Resource Development, were hired as part of the BBBSO management team.

In the weeks before Lois Allen, former Executive Director, took her retirement she worked diligently as ensuring that a strong management team was in place.

Rob was initially [...]

Ball Hockey Activity at Bayshore Park

sueh@bbbso.ca — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

All week the weather forecast called for rain on Sunday, but when Sunday arrived, there was hardly a cloud in the sky for our friendly ball hockey game!

Bigs and Littles gathered at Bayshore Park outdoor rink and split into 2 teams. It was a back and forth game with Little snipers taking their successful shots at the goalies from great Big passing feeds. A fun, active morning was had by all!

The next Group Activity for Bigs and Littles will be ‘Building [...]

Match Graduations 2010

jenniferm@bbbso.ca — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Many special friendships are formed through our mentoring programs. Our Bigs and Littles in our programs all share a common bond. A friendship that lasts well beyond our required one year. They share a friendship that stands the test of time, with laughter, compassion, fun, and sometimes sadness. Our graduates of 2009 and 2010 are those where the Little has turned 18 or the match has been together for 5 years and closed amicably. These Littles have grown through their friendship to b [...]

Recognizing Outstanding School Liaisons

tracym@bbbso.ca — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Every year we have the opportunity to work with terrific schools and match Big Brothers and Big Sisters with Elementary School Littles. We like to take the opportunity to recognize those terrific School Liaisons, as they help us to serve more children each year.

For the Meet You In School Program we had a difficult time to select our single shining star from our sky of amazing people. This year's shining star was Lois Hoysted from St. John the Apostle Catholic Elementar [...]

Good times had by all!

stephaniec@bbbso.ca — Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

"What do other matches do for fun?" This is one of the questions I get asked the most by volunteers struggling to find new activity ideas for themselves and their Littles. In truth, I don't envy these volunteers. This has to be one of the hardest parts about being a Big. I'm sure many of us out there can relate to the difficulty of finding new and exciting activities for teens that don't break any rules. So how do you find these activ [...]

Showing Passion At Work!

jenniferm@bbbso.ca — Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Tracy Moore has been part of our team since May 2008. It takes a patient, organized and dedicated person to run our Meet You In School (MYIS) program because of the stringent timelines and various elements. Over the last two years, Tracy has proven herself to be the right person for the job.

Tracy's initial interest in working with Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa (BBBSO) was based on the Inschool Mentoring programs, and their focus on providing mentors within the schools. "I l [...]

Une journee avec mon Petit!!

ericl@bbbso.ca — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

J'adore le mentorat scolaire de Grands Frères Grandes Soeurs d'Ottawa (GFGSO)! Jumelés pour la deuxième année, mon Petit et moi nous entendons très bien: nos rencontres ne sont pas toujours loquaces, mais il y a ces petits moments de grande complicité qui valent la peine de poursuivre la relation.

De voir l'aisance d'un enfant croître dans son école de mois en mois, c'est certainement l'un des expérie [...]

Volunteers Recognized by David McGuinty, M.P.

jenniferm@bbbso.ca — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa (BBBSO) relies on the support of many stakeholders to ensure that children in Ottawa have the opportunity to create special friendships. We are always grateful to the many volunteers who devote their time, energy, compassion and enthusiasm.

Many of you may be surprised to learn that we have 500 volunteers. Put it in monetary terms, the efforts of our volunteers for 2009 alone is estimated at $1.3M. And that is a conservative estimate. They are our mentors, our [...]

Big Sister And Little Sister Named 2010 Ambassadors of the Year

jenniferm@bbbso.ca — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In 2008, Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa (BBBSO) created its first Ambassador group. This group made up of Bigs, Littles, parents and other supporters is out in the community sharing stories and increasing awareness all year round. We have had Ambassadors speak at Parliament, during the United Way/City of Ottawa golf tournament, at various companies, during our Board Meetings and more.

BBBSO often receives last minute requests for speakers and a mass email goes out to see if anyone is [...]

Une journ�e amusante, le mercredi!

angelab@bbbso.ca — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Ecrit par notre étudiante en stage, Traci Spour)

Certains individus considèrent le mercredi comme une journée ennuyant puisque ce n'est ni le début, ni le fin de la semaine. Ce n'est pas le cas pour moi, une étudiante en stage au Grands Frères Grandes Sœurs d'Ottawa. C'est une journée remplit de sourire, de souvenir et d'activités amusants ! Voici mon histoire comme Grande Sœur pour le programm [...]

A changing wind

stephaniec@bbbso.ca — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In light of our not-so distant office relocation, I thought that a blog on change would be very fitting. So, here goes...

I'm sure we can all relate to the fact that as time goes on, things around us change. Even though none of us wants to admit it, we ourselves change too. Well I've come to realize that the same is true for matches.

While change can sometimes be difficult, it can also be wonderful. I was recently privileged enough to [...]

The best kind of problem to have�

angelab@bbbso.ca — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Last year brought forth many challenges for our Enrollment department. We started off the year with 223 Bigs who were in process, and none ready to be matched. Thanks to a phenomenal team effort, we were able to give a huge push over the spring and summer, at one point, staff members from nearly every program were conducting Big Brother and Big Sister interviews! The result of this push, was the acceptance of almost 100 Bigs into our program - with a total of almost 150 Littles [...]

Snow Tubing was Totally Tubular!

sueh@bbbso.ca — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Forty Bigs and Littles took to the snow tubing slope at The Domaine de l’Ange-Gardien last Saturday. The weather was great and the conditions were fast! Everyone had huge smiles on their faces at the end of each snow tube run. [...]

Celebrating A 3 Year Anniversary!

jenniferm@bbbso.ca — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We are excited to announce that 1103 children were mentored in 2009 across all our programs. This would not be possible without such a motivated and enthusiastic team of employees.

We are thrilled to be celebrating Eric Lapierre's third anniversary as a Mentoring Coordinator, Mentoring InSchool with Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa (BBBSO)!

Eric has been part of the programs team since February 2007. His contributions to the Mentoring InSchool prog [...]

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