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                    We are less than a week away from #GivingTuesday, a day after CyberMonday and Black Friday where we open our hearts and rally together to help our favourite causes. Originally started in 2012, #GivingTuesday is also meant to act as the “beginning of the giving season”—a way to kick of the time of year where the holiday giving spirit is in full force!  We here at Big Sisters of the BC Lower Mainland wanted to celebrate this upcoming Giving Tuesday by giving you an idea of just how much behind the scenes work goes on here to create the perfect Big & Little match. So we created this video! In […]

First things first – THANK YOU. We had the most incredible time celebrating Mentorship and all the amazing people contributing to bettering the lives of our Littles, Bigs, and our communities all over the Lower Mainland. Here’s a little recap of how the night went:  The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver was alight with our big-hearted community. Guests had the opportunity to network with over 470 guests, including individuals from: the Peter & Joanne Brown Foundation, Windsor Plywood Foundation, Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., HNW Services, John and Dana Montalbano’s First Light Foundation, and so many more!                                         A champagne reception, generously sponsored by Norton […]

Here at Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland, we revolve around three core values. Here’s what they are: We Champion Potential As an organization that seeks to build self-esteem, we believe that every person has limitless potential and individual strengths. We seek to maximize these traits in each person who is a part of Big Sisters: the Little Sisters who haven’t yet seen what they are capable of; the mentors who are realizing their capability as role models; our supporters and community partners whose collaboration and backing is needed to help us build sustainable programs; and the volunteers and staff whose skills and knowledge help guide and grow this organization. Every Connection Counts Every get together, every phone call, every […]

We want to show you why #MentoringMatters to us with the launch of #MentoringMondays!  Today, we launch something we are very excited about! For the next four weeks we will be sharing  stories from our Big and Little Sisters. These stories best showcase all the different ways #MentoringMatters and all the facets that our programs can involve. These four stories show off what we do best, which is creating healthy, supportive, and life long relationships between Big and Little Sisters. To begin our series we would like to share three stories right off the bat! Three girls of different ages, and the women who have come into their lives support and help them thrive. We’d like to introduce you to: […]

When people think about mentoring, they think of it as benefitting girls, but the truth is that volunteers also benefit from mentoring. As a mentor, knowing that you have such a big influence on a young girl’s life gives you a strong sense of purpose; you gain meaning. Depending on your schedule and lifestyle, you can become involved with Big Sisters in a variety of ways! We know that our volunteers have schedules and responsibilities, and for that reason we have positions convenient for people with a wide variety of lifestyles. There are many ways to get involved and change a girl’s life. Have Fun & Change a Girl’s Life “In my 3 years as a Big, I felt honored […]

The 2017 Luminary Award Soirée is just one week away! Don’t miss these exciting treats we have in store for you. Ease on in to the Bourbon Lounge… Let the celebrations continue with our Luminaries at the Bourbon Lounge. Brand new to this year’s Soirée, the Bourbon Lounge will open at the closing of the ceremony. If bourbon isn’t your thing, the lounge also has cash bar that’s fully stocked. So, don’t head down to the hotel bar, we’ve got you covered! Generously sponsored by: Generously furnished by: Show us your best dance moves…  It’s easy when Famous Players Band hits the stage just after 9 pm.  Generously sponsored by: At the Champagne Reception… Bid on over 100 fabulous silent […]

Mentoring means more than just tutoring; mentoring means being close with someone and while helping them grow. During the three years that Brenda and her Little Sister Sukhmani have been matched, they have bonded, become great friends and discovered new things about themselves all while having fun and helping each other grow. Brenda has always enjoyed tutoring so when the idea of becoming a Big Sister came to her, she jumped at the chance. “I have always enjoyed teaching and being around young people, so [this] was the right program for me”, she writes. At the same time that Brenda was searching for a Little Sister, Sukhmani needed someone to help her not only with school work, but to also […]

Mentoring has great benefits for both Big Sisters and Little Sisters. For that reason, it is important to acknowledge the organizations and individuals that make mentoring programs happen. Without the support from our generous donors, Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland would not be what it is today. Two particularly generous individuals that we are thankful for are Cheryl Nakamoto and Sarah McNeill of McNeill Nakamoto Recruitment Group. Cheryl and Sarah have been hosting the GrapeJuice Wine Auction for 10 years. Being the founders of GrapeJuice, our annual wine auction fundraiser, and devoted to helping the community, Cheryl and Sarah deserve further recognition. For that reason, Big Sisters BCLM nominated them for the Giving Hearts Award—a program created to acknowledge […]

Hip Hop Class On March 18 and March 25, seven of our matches participated in a free hip hop dance class. Thanks to Jennifer Lee for donating the space, a hip hop instructor, and a pizza lunch. It was a very fun experience for our Bigs and Littles. Canadians Nooner On July 20 our Bigs and Littles attended the Canadians Nooner game! It was a beautiful sunny day and two of our Littles got to throw the first pitch! They were beyond excited, it was a wonderful day for the matches to get out and have fun. Thank you to Scotiabank for this generous donation.   Bike Build Boston Pizza was extremely generous and donated seven bikes to our Little Sisters […]

Matched with Big Sister Richelle at 11 years old, Susan was a very shy and soft-spoken young girl. She was afraid to speak her mind, and her confidence was at an all-time low. “I was a bigger kid, my brother would say I was fat, ugly, and not good enough and I believed that. Because if you don’t have anyone else to tell you the contrary that’s all you believe,” says Susan. Richelle came into Susan’s life at the right time. Meeting on a weekly basis really helped Susan with her confidence, as she finally had someone in her life who would fill her life with positivity. Richelle recounts her time spent with Susan, “it was nice to go and […]