Big Brothers Big Sisters of Listowel and District

Time for our Quarterly Newsletter - Fall Edition! As always, I want to start off by saying thank you to all of the incredible local organizations and businesses who continue to support our agency. Without your time and efforts, we would not be able to maintain our programming for our local children and youth especially during a pandemic! United Way Perth-Huron Stratford Perth Community Foundation Ontario Ministry of Education Our office still remains closed to the public du...e to COVID-19 and our staff are working remotely, with a few office days. As an added note: Our BBBS Ontario 50/50 has hit over $290,000!! That's $145,000 for one lucky winner. Will it be you????? https://bigbrothersbigsistersraffle.5050central.com/ Sale ends TONIGHT!

Our work will never stop, even if the world is making it difficult! Our office will remain closed during the stay at home order, but we will continue our work remotely. There will be no interruptions of service to our current matches, and we are open (virtually) to bring in more volunteers or children at this time! ... #Lockdown2.0 #BBBSIgnitePotential

Have a 2021 resolution involving volunteering in the community? We are always looking for volunteers in our programs! The need is ever growing with a pandemic, and children mentor-less in our waiting list.... If you have the time to spare for your community, contact us today to find out more about our programs #NorthPerth #WaitListKids

With our annual Christmas party cancelled, we have been out in full force for the past week, delivering Christmas gifts and meals to our BBBS Littles and their families! Christmas may not be the same this year, but we can still feel the spirit around us Thank you to our Christmas elves @recessguardians for bringing us gifts to wrap for our Littles and their siblings! And thank you to our generous Christmas meal donors @livfitlistowelon and @lavish__salon With this donation we were able to provide a delicious catered meal from a local business, Joanne’s Homestyle Catering, to each family!

Congratulations Brittany! Another successful 50/50 in the books for our agency! Thanks to everyone who has supported Big Brothers Big Sisters across Ontario!

The jackpot is growing and your chance to get in on the action is coming to an end. Only 3 days left to buy tickets for the BBBSO Bigger Together 50/50 Raffle, and the jackpot is still growing. The draw takes place Friday December 4th at 9pm. Get your tickets now by clicking the link below before it's too late! https://bigbrothersbigsistersraffle.5050central.com/ #BiggerTogether #BiggerTogether5050 #BBBSL&D #BBBSO

Thank you to those who have already purchased their BiggerTogether 50/50 Raffle tickets! We are #BiggerTogether and that means the bigger the pot, the bigger the impact on young people across Ontario. The winner’s estimated prize share is already over $31,000! Purchase tickets here: https://bigbrothersbigsistersraffle.5050central.com/

A Win-Win for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ontario and our communities across our province. Take home a minimum $5,000 prize and a $500 Early Bird prize. Support @BBBSListowel and enter the BiggerTogether5050.com raffle today. BUY NOW! https://bigbrothersbigsistersraffle.5050central.com/... Tickets are: 10 for $10 40 for $20 200 for $40 #Provincial5050 #BBBSO5050 #BiggerTogether5050

The Early Bird Draw is TODAY at 8pm!!! If you haven’t purchased your tickets DO IT! 10/$10, 40/$20 and BEST DEAL 200/$40! This link is unique to Listowel and tickets purchased here benefit us directly. The pot is now estimated winnings of $50,000 !!! That's right! $50,000 could be yours, plus the potential for today's win of $500! Get your tickets here:... https://bigbrothersbigsistersraffle.5050central.com/... #BBBSO5050 #BiggerTogether

Yesterday was National Seniors day! We want to invite all 55+ Canadians to become a Mentor with their local BBBS agencies, and #IGNITE intergenerational mentoring! Thanks to @ScotiaBank @BBBSC is working to intentionally match 55+ Mentors with a young person waiting for mentor ship in their community. ... BECOME A MENTOR TODAY! Call 519.291.6762 or email [email protected] Visit us at http://Listowel.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca

Join in the fun of our #BiggerTogether 50/50 Raffle! Buy your tickets now to be entered into our Early Bird drawing this Friday for a chance to win $500! All ticket holders are automatically entered into the Early Bird draw and the 50/50 so you can win both. $40 for 200 tickets is a Bigway to win - Twice! Get your tickets now!!!! https://bigbrothersbigsistersraffle.5050central.com/ #BBBSO5050

Tune into 100.1 The Ranch this morning to hear me chat about what’s going on with BBBS!!

AUCTION! We have collected some great prizes that we were unable to auction due to our cancelled events. We want to give everyone the opportunity to put in their bid on these great prizes before they expire! (NO minimum bid required). This will be an AUCTION in the comment section under each picture. Whoever has the highest bid (per item) by Friday October 2nd will receive the prize. Any and all donations are welcome!... Prizes include: - 4 boxes of 24 K-Cups - Ottawa Travel & Tourism Package - Toronto Tourism Package - Marine Land Passes A few things to note: for any tickets there will be restrictions with regards to using them, such as not all features may be available (ie no rides at Marine Land) and they may have limited hours or days they are open (ie Second City is only avail on Thurs). All items are sold AS IS. We recommend looking at the websites of the organizations before bidding to ensure you are aware of any restrictions on dates, times, booking requirements, availability of offerings, etc.

The pot has reached over $25,000 in winnings!! If you have time to donate money, do you have time to donate your time to a Little? Contact us today and see how you can join our efforts ... #BBBSO5050 #BiggerTogether #VolunteerBBBS

INCREDIBLE. In 4 days from my last post, the pot GREW from $8,360 to $18,120 estimated winnings!! The response from all across Ontario, and in our own local area, has been heartwarming! ... I’m crossing my fingers that one of our local lucky supporters will be the winner keep the support coming and the pot will only continue upward! Follow our link here to purchase tickets: https://bigbrothersbigsistersraffle.5050central.com/ Tickets are: 10 for $10 40 for $20 200 for $40 #biggertogether5050 #biggertogether

Holy moly! What an incredible response for all the BBBSs in Ontario! Because of all the sales so far, the pot has already grown to an estimated prize of $8,360 for the winner!! And this is just the beginning! There are still 28 days left to purchase your tickets and support @bbbslistowel Get your tickets to here: https://bigbrothersbigsistersraffle.5050central.com/... All tickets sold through this website are specific to the support of @bbbslistowel A big thanks to all who have supported us so far, as Listowel crushed it right out of the gate! #BBBSO5050

@bbbslistowel NEEDS mentors NOW. We have had too many Littles on our Waiting List for TOO LONG. 19 Littles. This isn’t a small number. ... We have many programs to join: - Traditional (Community-based) program - In School Mentoring (site-based) program - Couples4Kids (community-based) program What is Couples4Kids? It’s not just for your traditional idea of couple. It can be spouses, romantic partners, or good friends/work associates ready to take on a Little together! What is the benefit? - Spending time together with a Little, OR - Splitting up the responsibility if you feel you have limited time - combine the two! Spend time together or split it between you two depending on your time! #COUPLES4KIDS #WENEEDYOU #VOLUNTEERTODAY

Are you ready to win?! Our first ever virtual 50/50 raffle launches TOMORROW during Big Brothers Big Sisters month! This is going to be huge! Tickets will be available for purchase online! Stay tuned for more details #BBBSMonth #bbbsoc #WinBig #BiggerTogether

Mentoring relationships protect against harmful effects of social isolation, toxic stress, and #socialdistancing. Research shows #mentoring can dramatically improve the life of vulnerable youth. You can help when you volunteer with #bbbslistowel http://listowel.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca

This September, you can do something that matters. Do something Big. Mentor a young person & #IgnitePotential. Young people need you now more than ever. Find out how you can make an impact in a young person's life today at www.listowel.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca #BiggerTogether #BBBSMonth #BBBSOC

Social isolation during pandemic deprives many youth of vital emotional support and interaction with peers. In addition to social isolation, young people are struggling with a lack of structure and disruption of routine. This crisis is highlighting a lot of existing societal divides in the way it is disproportionately impacting lower-income communities. The levels of stress and trauma in low-income communities are higher because the impacts are more severethere is more food... insecurity, housing instability, loss of family income, as well as higher rates of illness and death among community members. Young people in these scenarios have major barriers to receiving the support such as having access to internet and technology, older siblings taking care of younger siblings, and less time and opportunity to do homework. And some young people who are living in households where there is abuse and interpersonal violence are at even higher risk now that families are stuck at home. There will be fallout from this for a long time to come. Stress and trauma are known to have significant impacts on mental health. At BBBS, our mission is to enable life-changing mentoring relationships. Through this pandemic, our volunteer mentors in Listowel have continued to connect with their Littles in our community who need it the most, when they need it most which is right now! We are an essential service for our young people!

Calling all community members! We are in need of more board members ASAP. If you have a passion for the community and the organizations within it, then we utilize your abilities with us! BBBS Listowel continues it's work, despite the curve ball of COVID-19, but we need more active members on our Board to do so.... Anyone who is interested, reach out to [email protected] OR message any of our social media accounts and we will get back to you ASAP.

Happy afternoon! Thank you to everyone who has been patiently waiting for us while we considered the best plan of action for the 2020 Bowl for Kids Sake event, and our Superhero Sunday event. We have made the difficult decision to cancel all our fundraising events at physical venues this year. Your safety and the safety of our community is our #1 priority.... If you or any of our BFKS team members have collected any donations, and would like to donate them to us, please reach out to Brittany ([email protected]) or message any of our social media pages to arrange pick-up/drop-off. Thank you very much for your continued support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Listowel & District. We hope that we'll get to see everyone in person for our 2021 events! SOME GOOD NEWS: We do have a few new things on the go, so stayed tuned!

With support from the agency, I decided the best way to continue to enhance our relationship would be to ensure they stayed on top of their weekly school work virtually, which has meant daily WhatsApp meetings. It has been through this experience that I have really seen how important an additional outside influence has been. -Big With your support, we can continue to help youth in our community make positive childhood memories with a caring mentor. Visit https://listowel.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/ to learn more.

Trying to think about yourself in a more positive light can be hard, but I challenge you to do it! Our Littles need your positive light in their lives Believe in yourself to make a change for yourself and for them! #MotivationMonday

Happy Wednesday! We are still in need of many volunteers! Our traditional program (which is community based) has 19 children on the waiting list, some who have been there for over a year! The children in our community need you. Whether its behind the scenes on the board of directors to help make progressive decisions for the agency, or on the frontlines with our children helping shape a positive childhood with life long memories!... Contact us today! #Volunteerism #WeNeedYourHelp

We’re on our last few days of our online auction through Bids for Benefit! Auction ends Wednesday July 29nd at 7pm. Please follow the link to the auction and start bidding! https://www.bidsforbenefit.com/bid-now-and-make-it-count-b/

Only a few days left to make your bids! Auction ends on Wednesday July 29th! Thank you to everyone who continues to support our efforts in the community! ... #Thankful #OnlineAuction #MakeYourBidsCount

Don't forget to keep an eye on your bids, or make one on something you've had your eye on! Through collaborating with Bids for Benefit, we hope to have a successful first online auction in the books! Follow the link here: https://www.bidsforbenefit.com/bid-now-and-make-it-count-b/... Not interested in any of the products? That's okay! If you still want to donate to our cause, there is a donate button at the end of the auction website to donate directly to us!

Good morning and happy Thursday! We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Bids for Benefit to provide and ONLINE SEALED AUCTION with some amazing items available for you to bid on, with proceeds going towards our organization! Bidding starts NOW, and ENDS Wednesday July 29nd at 7pm. ... Follow the link here: https://www.bidsforbenefit.com/bid-now-and-make-it-count-b/ Instructions on how to bid and pay are located at the top of the page. Remember to Make Your Bids Count!