BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CALGARY AND AREA SHARING YOUR INNER CHILD Annual Report 2011/12 SHARING SWEET MOMENTS AMANDA and KAYLA MATCHED 1 YEAR Little Sister Kayla was both shy and excited about meeting Big Sister Amanda at Thomas B. Riley School in September. Matched through the mPower Youth Mentoring program, the two quickly became friends. Amanda and Kayla enjoy their weekly hour together with an array of activities, from crafts, cooking, and learning to just plain girly stuff. One day, Amanda brought in her curling iron to fancy Kayla’s locks. Right in the middle of styling, they were interrupted by a fire drill. “We had to go outside with half Kayla’s hair curled and half on top of her head. Her friends thought it was pretty cool she was getting her hair done at school.” Having a Big Sister like Amanda really makes Kayla feel special. “I can tell her anything and trust her. She gets me.” Amanda brings a nurturing side and lends an ear whenever it’s needed. “The program enables me to be someone who listens first and gives Kayla a sense that someone is going to be there for her. I’ve seen a lot of growth in Kayla. It’s been really cool to see her develop more confidence and better problem solving skills.” The duo will say farewell for the summer, pocketing their memories until they meet again in the fall. SHARING YOUR LOVE OF LAUGHTER ROBB, CEILIDH and CORY MATCHED 5 YEARS Big Brother Robb and Little Brother Cory met on a bright August day in 2007, both excited to share their laughter and do “things only kids should be doing.” They first tackled the nearest playground, then quenched their thirst with drinks from a nearby convenience store. Five years later, the two still meet weekly to go shopping, watch movies, play Wii, or brave the Calaway Park rides. And just this year, Robb’s wife, Ceilidh, officially became Cory’s Big Sister, making them his Big Couple. “Cory has been in our life since before our kids were born,” Ceilidh said. “After they got older, Cory became more like family. It was Cory who asked me to join the program.” Embracing Cory as part of their family has had a tremendous affect on him. He admits he used to be a hooligan misbehaving all the time, but now he can’t even lie. It’s an impact Cory had anticipated from the beginning. “I thought having a Big would be exactly as it is now; a lot of fun and someone pushing me in the right direction.” Cory has taught his Big Couple important lessons too. Ceilidh admires his sense of self. “I love that he is unapologetically original.” As Cory heads off into grade nine in September, the trio looks forward to many laughs to come. SHARING THE RIDE OF LIFE ANNA-MARIE and STEPHANIE MATCHED 10 YEARS Little Sister Stephanie and Big Sister Anna-Marie sat together for the first time ten years ago, bonding over Stephanie’s Winnie the Pooh collection. Stephanie, an eager eight-year-old, was jumping with joy to start the journey with her Big. “I didn’t really understand what I was getting into, but I was super excited.” Over the years, their outings evolved from playground visits to more grown up things such as coffee, dinner, bowling, and movies. “We saved all our movie stubs. We keep them in a scrapbook with concert tickets and pictures.” Anna-Marie was Stephanie’s biggest fan at her high school basketball games. “Those were my favourite games, even though we lost. My mom taped the games and it was so sweet to hear Anna-Marie cheering on the video.” The time Anna-Marie and Stephanie have spent together has made them feel like true sisters. “Stephanie has made me become a more positive person. I look forward to our meetings. She is my sister.” For Stephanie, her time with Anna-Marie has improved her confidence tremendously. “Anna-Marie has a very kind heart. I didn’t know it was possible for anyone to be so patient.” It’s been a lovely ride, and they look forward to continuing their relationship and adding to their scrapbook, after the formal match ends. SHARING YOURSELF Everybody has something to share – your artistry, your athletic talent, your book smarts or your open ear. To you, they are just a part of life – to a child, they make you someone to look up to. It’s not about who can spend the most money or invest the most time. It’s about small moments that will make a big difference in a child’s life and help shape them into strong, confident adults. Taking the opportunities to find common ground, diving into what interests you and enjoying life’s little moments can make a huge difference in a child’s life. Did we mention, they’ll have a pretty big impact on your life too? Shared experiences are at the heart of a life well lived. TABLE OF CONTENTS 01. Executive Director and Board Chair Message 03. Overview, 2011-2012 Stats 05. Programs 09. Revenue and Expenses 10. The Impact of Mentoring on Youth 13. Corporate Bigs 14. Years of Service Awards 15. Fundraising Events, Activities and Volunteer Recruitment Initiatives 16. Funder and Donors List 19. Community Collaborators 21. School Collaborators 23. Board of Directors GET INVOLVED TODAY 24. Founders – MENTOR. VOLUNTEER. DONATE. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR It is an honour to provide you with the Big Brothers MESSAGE Big Sisters of Calgary and Area 2011/12 Annual Report. It is a privilege to partner with you, our generous donors and supporters, to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of children and families in our community. Children are our most precious resource, but sadly too many of our young people are in desperate need of more adult interaction and guidance. 1 l BBBS AR 2011/12 The good news is that there is a research-based solution that is elegant We couldn’t have done this without your support or commitment. You and cost effective. Big Brothers Big Sisters has been positively impacting make it possible for our professional staff to screen, assess, match and the lives of children across Canada for nearly 100 years and in Calgary then provide support to our volunteers in their roles as the direct agents for more than 50 years. Through their friendships with their Littles, our of change in a child’s life. Yes, you are our heroes! Every time you make a Big Brothers and Big Sisters encourage children to see the possibilities of donation to us, you support our ability to start something – to find a new “What if?” rather than accepting the status quo. When a child envisions a Big, to enrol a new deserving young person, to make a new match, or to positive future for themselves, they work harder in school, set longer-term support a match friendship for another year. goals, are more likely to avoid risky behaviours, and feel more positive about themselves. We are committed to ensuring our young people graduate from high school and move on to post-secondary education. We are committed to In the past year, we made hundreds of new matches and supported reducing poverty, to ensuring all of our young people have the opportunity more than 1,779 active matches. We began new collaborations, to reach their potential. We are committed to making a positive impact on supported additional schools, and added new programs to help us our community. Thank you all for joining us on this journey and for making serve even more children. We piloted new models of service focusing a difference to so many! You should be exceptionally proud of everything on the neighborhoods and communities where we can have the you do to help Big Brothers Big Sisters accomplish so much for the young greatest impact. New corporate partnerships were formed to extend our people we serve. highly successful Corporate Bigs program. To meet the needs of our growing and changing community, our board and staff worked together Please accept our sincere and heartfelt thanks on behalf of our children, to develop a new strategic plan that set a goal of supporting 4,000 mentors, board and staff. matched relationships by 2015/16. Quality, community partnerships, and financial and human resources are essential pillars necessary to ensure success of delivering an impactful, safe service to the community. Richard Brown Sharon Moore Board Chair Executive Director BBBS AR 2011/12 l 2 OVERVIEW, 2011-2012 STATS OUR VISION: every young person has a mentor OUR MISSION: to impact the lives of young people and volunteers through the power of mentoring 3 l BBBS AR 2011/12 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area is a donor-supported, TOTAL CHILDREN IN volunteer-driven organization recognized for mentoring programs for MENTORING PROGRAMS young people in schools and communities throughout Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, Cochrane, High River, Okotoks, and Rocky View County. 1,779 We match young people 6 to 18 years old with caring volunteers in a 1,568 variety of mentoring programs. We provide training for both volunteers and young people as well as ongoing professional support to foster success of mentoring relationships. 913 Mentorship impacts the lives of young people by improving their self- 834 esteem, relationships with others, and understanding of the value of education. We believe that every young person has untapped potential and the right to dream about their future.