June 3rd, 2010
Big Brothers Celebrates Annual Awards Night
Community supporters, volunteers, Little Brothers and their families joined Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver as we celebrated long-lasting friendships and community building at our annual Awards Night. This year's theme was carried over from the Canada, eh themed Scotiabank Bowl for Big Brothers Classic.
The event was held on the evening of May 28th at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver where guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres followed by a touching awards ceremony.
We celebrated our community supporters, as well as the 5, 10, 25 year and teen volunteers. Powerful stories about long-lasting friendships were shared with many. The guests were reminded of the positive impacts our mentoring programs have on children and our community.
A record 60 volunteers were recognized this year. Each match was called up to the stage to receive an award for their incredible achievements. Big Brother Tom Everitt emceed with his Little Brother, Chris. They did an amazing job throughout the evening captivating the audience with their fantastic humor.
One of the major highlights of the night was a video that was put together by our Program Director Joanne Kautz-Allard. The video was dedicated to Tom Everitt, recipient of the Cecil S. Walker Award for outstanding achievement as a volunteer. Click here to view the video.
Congratulations to all those who received awards this year and thank you for continuing to support our agency with enthusiasm.
This year’s special award recipients include, but are not limited to:
Agency Awards
Scott Ferris John Perpich Award
Kids Up Front Murray Goldman Charity Award
Tom Everitt Cecil S. Walker Award
Fernando Doria 25 Year Big Brother Award
Match of the Year Awards
Victor Lam Teen Mentoring Program
Andrea Blendl and Kassidy In-School Mentoring Program
Kevin Hawryluk and Brendan Big Brothers Program
The evening ended with a heart-warming speech from the mother of one of our Little Brothers, Jane Parker. “As Brendan’s mom, I can’t bring myself to share a lot of Brendan’s manly interests. However, Brendan is able to share his love for different activities with his Big Brother, Kevin.” Jane said, “Brendan has also been able to experience things that I would not have been able to provide for him as a single mother. He was able to experience all these things because of Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver.” Brendan summed up his friendship with Kevin best. He felt like he has known Kevin all his life.
Without our volunteers and community supporters, we would not be able to serve as many kids around the Lower Mainland as we do today. Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver would like to thank our volunteers and community supporters for allowing the agency to continue to make a BIG difference in the lives of children.
Click here for more information on how you can get involved.
Click here for more information on how you can become a volunteer or call 604.876.2447 x236.
