On Monday September 5^th, Chicago Blackhawk forward Bryan Bickell hosted a pick-up ball hockey afternoon in the parking lot of BBBSO to help local youth in need of an adult mentor.

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

During the holiday season it’s easy to get caught up in finding the perfect gift for friends and family. One of our Moms planned early, shopped early and thought she had it all figured out but boy was she wrong…

As word spreads about our current decision to halt enrollment in our traditional match program, we are thrilled to see community support for our programs.

Since September, our Mentoring Coordinators have been creating InSchool matches weekly. Bigs and Littles in this program meet up once a week over the school year. You may be asking yourself, how much of a difference can once a week make... well hear it from the kids.

While we ask our volunteering in the traditional match program to establish their friendship for one year, we often have matches that last much longer. Ronald and Curtis are one of our graduated matches. During the graduation ceremony help last April, Ron also received a 10 year tenure award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Read on to learn more about Ron and Curtis' match.

Dovercourt Recreation Centre and Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa (BBBSO) are pleased to be working together in order to make recreational activities more accessible for our Littles. Throughout the past year, over 20 Littes have benefited from a series of swimming lessons provided by Dovercourt. 

Les réussites, les défis, les nouveaux visages et les possibilités exceptionnelles que 2008 nous a apportés en ont fait une année captivante. En outre, elle nous a offert de nombreuses occasions de développer nos programmes pour qu'ils se poursuivent en 2009, et je suis ravie de les partager avec vous.  

The past year has been an interesting year of successes, challenges, new faces and exciting opportunities for all programs! 2008 brought along with it many prospects for expanding programming into 2009 and I'm excited to share these with you.  

Grâce à deux événements qui ont connu beaucoup de succès, aux généreux donateurs et aux nombreuses sociétés partenaires, 2008 a été une année merveilleuse pour le développement des ressources de l'organisme Grands Frères Grandes Sœurs d'Ottawa (GFGSO).