Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hamilton & Burlington: July 2009

Concession Program for Matches - When a match is made between a Big and Little, they are given a concession pamphlet that entitles them to some special treats or events. Our thanks to our Sponsors & community friends.

Group Activities and Outings – Offered 4-6 times per year, for example we have group activities and outings. We will always put these on the activity line, where you will be required to leave your name and phone number if you wish to attend. Some one will get back to you as soon as possible.

Computer and Bike Give Away Days - Usually twice a year we at Big Brothers Big Sisters are given computers and some bikes. When that happens, we will put it on the activity line so that you can register for these programs.

Summer fun – Some of the summer fun this year is a program called Summer Buddies where the Littles get to spend some time with a mentor at one of our community schools for a period of one week from Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:00 pm. We also have Ti-Cat tickets, and a fishing event.

Coach House- Once you have been matched, your caseworker will give your Big a key to the Coach House. In the Coach House, there are different games, like a pool table, foosball table, along with other things to do.

Tickets, Tickets, Tickets – Please call the activity line at 905-525-3860 x 3 where you will find a listing of different activities. Leave your name and phone number for the activity that you would like to do and someone will get back to you.

Summer Buddies Throughout the summer months, students from the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and the YMCA Summer Opportunities Program are matched in 1:2 mentoring relationships with our unmatched children. Together with other matches, they actively participate in relationship building activities and ‘old time summer fun’.

Community Matching program offers services to children aged seven to 18 years, mostly from single parent families. They are matched with individual volunteers, or with volunteer couples or families. Our traditional matching program is a one adult, one volunteer program.
Couples and Family Matching program is designed much like our Community Matching Program. However, Couples and Families volunteer together to provide friendship to a child.

In School Mentoring program provides services to children who have been identified by school personnel as being "at risk" of not achieving their full potential. These children may be struggling with socialization skills and/or are lacking in self-esteem, and may be more likely to drop out of school. This program brings together business, education and volunteer sectors to promote the social, emotional and educational well-being of children. It involves a one-to-one relationship between an adult and a child who meet weekly on school premises. This program is designed for boys and girls and uses both male and female volunteers. We collaborate with both the Public and Catholic School Boards for this program in Hamilton and Burlington.

Child Safety and Empowerment program is offered to clients, parents and volunteers. It provides tools and education in the area of child safety with a focus on the prevention of child sexual abuse. This program encourages the safety of our clients and families, at home and in the community.

Promise Scholarship and Project Hope Initiatives provide motivational tools and financial assistance to encourage children to pursue post-secondary education.

In partnership with the Canadian Tire Jump Start program, our agency identifies children in need who would benefit from participating in an organized sport or recreational activity and could not ordinarily do so without assistance. The agency disburses funds to the appropriate service provider to cover the cost of registration. Consideration is also given to fund equipment and transportation costs.

SOAR (Social Opportunities, Activities, and Relationships) is a group program with separate programs for girls and boys waiting to be matched with Big Brothers or Big Sisters. Volunteers provide learning and recreational activities for children and youth. Areas of focus are Special Events, Recreation, Sports, Personal Development, Employment and Volunteer Work in the Community. Each volunteer is matched with a few children who meet with other SOAR volunteers and children as a group for two hours a week over a 12-week period. In 2008/09 we had four groups running; SOAR for Girls, Soar for Boys both Junior and Senior and SOAR UPS for a special group of Burlington kids.

The Go Girls! Program provides girls and young women with information and support to make informed choices about healthy, active living while maintaining sensitivity toward the emotional, social and cultural issues they may face. Specifically, the project addresses the issues of physical activity, balanced eating and positive self-image for youth participants between the ages of 12 and 14 through mentoring relationships.

All of our service volunteers are screened and trained by Big Brothers Big Sisters professional staff. Our case managers and caseworkers provide ongoing monitoring and relationship support for children and volunteers. The families we serve receive support services and encouragement from our professional staff.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

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