fbpx

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver stops accepting Surrey children for programs due to lack of volunteers

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver stops accepting Surrey children for programs due to lack of volunteers

BBGV logo

SURREY, B.C. – January is Mentoring Month, but Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver (BBGV) has stopped accepting new children in Surrey for their community mentoring program because of a shortage of volunteers, the organization announced on Jan. 17.

“Surrey has the largest wait pool in the agency, with 30 kids waiting for a Big Brother. The wait pool is so large that adding more kids to it is currently on hold. Essentially there are families on a waitlist to get into the wait pool for matching! The current average wait time to get a Big Brother for Surrey wait pool “Littles” is two years, which is almost double the amount of time from other cities” Navkiran Brar, manager of family engagement, said.

The term wait pool is used by BBGV to describe Little Brothers approved for the program and waiting to be matched.

BBGV is a registered charity whose mission is to empower children and youth to reach their full potential though impactful mentoring relationships. The charity aims to serve more than 1,000 youth through free programs in Surrey, Vancouver, the Tri-Cities, Richmond, Burnaby, New Westminster, the North Shore, Delta and White Rock.

“It’s unfortunate. We’ve had to stop accepting new families who’d like to be paired with a Big Brother in Surrey because of the lack of volunteers applying. This is the most urgent need for mentors I’ve seen in my five years with the organization,” Mandy Wong, manager of development and marketing at BBGV, said.

In Surrey, the charity has an immediate need for at least 38 volunteers to meet the current demand throughout their free programs.

Right now, there are hundreds of youth waiting for their mentor and friend. If you’ve ever considered volunteering as a mentor, now is the time.

As one BBGV volunteer and current Big Brother, Hari, recently explained:

“[Volunteering] is a lot less scary than you think it is and it’s a lot more fun than you think it will be and you’ll end up learning a whole lot more about yourself … There’s a lot in it for you that you’ll end up finding and you’ll be surprised with what comes out at the end of it.”

Other cities in Greater Vancouver with a high need for volunteers are Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Vancouver and North Vancouver.

The organization’s mentoring programs pair volunteers with children and youth between the ages of seven and 17-years-old who share common interests. Volunteers spend one or more hours per week with their matches doing fun activities.

BBGV has six programs you can get involved in; the Big Brother Community Program, In-School Mentoring, Game On!, Mentoring With Math, Roots and Teen Mentoring.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities with Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver please visit https://www.bigbrothersvancouver.com or reach us at volunteer@bbgvf.com.

B2Gold Big Brothers Golf Classic Raises $350,000 for Youth Mentorship

A golfer tees off

The cold and rain are here to stay, so we want to take look back at the wonderful day at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club for our annual B2Gold Big Brothers Golf Classic!

It was so much fun in the sun that was made even better by how much we raised to support children and youth in our communities: $347,351!

Ninety-four golfers hit the greens for a good cause, which was all made possible by our 29 generous sponsors.

A special thank you to B2Gold Corp. for their continuous support over the last 11 years as our Title Sponsor, in our annual fundraising event at the beautiful Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club. Our Gold Sponsors included; Calibre Mining, Raymond James, Haywood Securities, Wheaton Precious Metals, BMO Capital Markets, FLSmidth, National Bank, and Langara Island Lodge. Our Media Sponsor and banquet dinner host was Global BC accompanied by their very own Mark Madryga.

We sincerely appreciate the valuable role you play in this event year after year!

But what is a good day without great food?People gathering outside of a food truck

Well, the tournament was made extra-special by our on-course supporters and vendors; Studio Brewing; CrackOn Food Truck; Casino Royale; 2000 Cigars; and Tornado Potatoes.

 They kept everyone well-fed and in high-spirits throughout the long sunny day. Golfers were treated to decadent food, specialty cocktails, lavish on-course activities and more. This year we increased on-course activities, hosted an online silent auction, and a cocktail reception – all of which was followed by a banquet dinner.

B2Gold's CEO, Clive Johnson (centre), with our Big and Little Brothers Cameron and Quan alongside his guardian, Susan.
B2Gold’s CEO, Clive Johnson (centre), with our Big and Little Brothers Cameron and Quan alongside his guardian, Susan.

The event couldn’t have been such a BIG success without the support of 39 awesome volunteers. These amazing people supported us by running golf contests, managing registration, selling raffle tickets and so much more. Their behind-the-scenes efforts are what made this day such a fun and smooth experience for everyone.

As we emerged from the challenges of the pandemic, we’re proud to say that we served more than 750 children and youth across the Greater Vancouver. Our goal is to make children and youth feel supported and connected to their community, friends, family, and to themselves. We will continue to serve our communities through connection by matching our Littles with Bigs who, more than a mentor, are a friend.

Of course, for Big Brothers to make as many matches as we can – it takes time, effort, and support of the community. It is through community events like the B2Gold Big Brothers Golf Classic and the participation of sponsors and donors that help us create impactful long-lasting change.

Ways to get involved in the 2023 B2Gold Big Brothers Golf Classic:

  1. Sponsor the event
    Benefits include media coverage, event signage, multiple forms of print material, advertisement space in our tournament yearbook that is sent to all attendees and corporate sponsors (in-print and online).  As well, inclusion in our Annual Report and our Big Night of Stars award ceremony.
  2. Treat your clients or staff to a round of golf
    We’ve got everything covered to give your guests the VIP treatment – all you have to do is sign them up and we’ll handle the rest. Don’t forget to reserve a spot for yourself! You won’t want to miss this!
  3. Donate products to be showcased
    Have your item featured in our extensive silent auction or provide a prize for one of our on-course contests.
  4. Support an on-course activity
    Join our exclusive line-up of vendors offering food, beverage, and product samples.

The opportunities to build your brand and product exposure don’t end there. Our team is happy to work with you to discuss other sponsorship and recognition opportunities that are unique to your company.

Get in touch with our events team at events@bbgvf.com.

Want to give back to the community with us when you can?

If you would like volunteer with us, but you don’t have the time to be a Big, don’t worry! You can volunteer with us at one of our events. We’re always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join one of our many events throughout the year.

Join us at marathons, holiday parties, golf tournaments, and more! Volunteering with us is a great opportunity for networking, getting involved with your community, and working for a BIG cause while having a great time.

Volunteer at an event with us!

Watch this year’s B2Gold Big Brothers Gold Classic:

Big Brothers of Grater Vancouver receives $25,000 Ted Rogers Community Grant for youth leadership

Ted Rogers Community Grants

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver (BBGV) was awarded $25,000 to support youth leadership programs as a recipient of the 2022 Ted Rogers Community Grant, Rogers Communication announced on Nov. 3.

“We’re thrilled to receive this funding. With this grant, we can directly fund even more youth mentorship programming and take one step closer to reaching our goal of matching over 1,000 children and youth with mentors in our local communities throughout Greater Vancouver,” Mandy Wong, manager of development and marketing at BBGV, said.

BBGV’s mission is to empower young people to reach their full potential through impactful mentoring relationships in collaboration with local communities in Surrey, White Rock, Delta, Richmond, New Westminster, the Tri-Cities, Burnaby, the North Shore and Vancouver.

The registered charity is part of more than 70 others across Canada to receive funds for youth programming. Ted Rogers Community Grants are awarded yearly to registered charitable organizations or non-profits in Canada that provide programming to youth ages 15 to 29 in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, health and sport.

“We are proud to partner with local organizations to help young Canadians reach their full potential,” Tony Staffieri, president and CEO, Rogers Communications, said. “Our youth are the future, and we need to do everything we can to give them the best start in life.”

Since 2017, Rogers has awarded hundreds of Ted Rogers Community Grants for programs that support equity-deserving youth. This year, recipient organizations will help over 50,000 youth in 250 communities across the country.

Rogers invests $5 million annually to create educational opportunities for Canadian youth through Community Grants and Ted Rogers Scholarships.  It has also contributed more than $10 million over the past decade to create access to youth sports programming through Jays Care Foundation.

For a full list of recipients across Canada, please visit here.

Big Brothers Big News: E-newsletters Library

Big Brothers Big News

Our bi-monthly E-newsletter gets you the inside scoop into everything Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver. You’ll get to read great stories about our matches, what YOU (our communities and volunteers) are doing to support youth where we live, news of past and upcoming fun events for matches and their families to attend, see some fantastic photography and much more! 

Haven’t subscribed yet? Click here!

Below, you can find our catalogue of previous E-editions.

Scroll to Top