#12DaysOfGiving with Rinaldi Homes - Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters St.Catharines-Thorold & District is the leading youth mentoring organization in Niagara. They have been supporting children and at-risk youth to become happier, healthier, more self-confident and an active citizen of our community since 1937.

More and more parents are looking for in-school and site-based mentorship programs for their children, it comes as no surprise as the results for the children are amazing:

• 76% showed improved school grades
• 80% have better school attendance
• 82% have a better relationship with teachers
• 90% get along better with their peers

Mentored youth are also 46% less likely to initiate drug use than children from similar socio-economic backgrounds who were not paired with a mentor.  The youth are not the only ones who benefit from such programs, as Canada saves $7,800 in incarceration costs for every youth that is prevented from being charged with drug possession. For every youth that is prevented from being charged with drug trafficking saves Canada $27,820 in incarceration costs. This means that for every 100 youth that are prevented from being incarcerated for 30 days, the justice system saves $1,033,200 - the cost of mentoring youth is just 10% of this number.

Though there are such huge benefits to the programs that BBBS offers, they receive no sustainable government funding. BBBS must raise 90% of their budget to maintain and grow the quality of their programs. They are always accepting of donations, as well as volunteers, especially male volunteers and mentors. 

Every year we attend the Niagara Home Builders' Association Christmas party and as an association we donate gifts to BBBS. It is usually at the beginning of December, and it is a great way to get into the holiday spirit!

NHBA presenting the donations to BBBS

Since our first year doing the #12DaysOfGiving, we have donated a group of tickets to the Niagara IceDogs game to BBBS. It a great way for the big brothers and big sisters to bring their mentees out for a game, and it's a special night right before Christmas!

Rinaldi Homes welcomes Big Brothers Big Sisters to the IceDogs game

Thanks Adam Maiolo for providing the facts and trends that BBBS has been seeing over the last year. 

#12DaysOfGiving with Rinaldi Homes - Youth Unlimited

Youth Unlimited

We see the hope and potential in every young person

If you aren't familiar with Youth Unlimited, it is a beacon of hope for the youth of Niagara. About a month ago we attended a fundraising breakfast for the centre, along with Mayor Walter Sendzik, where we learned of all their great doings. Since then we haven't been able to stop thinking about how we could help!

We recently toured their youth centre located on Merritt Street in St.Catharines, where we were able to meet the team behind the scenes. The Deck Youth Centre is a safe place for young people to be with caring adult volunteers. They have the opportunity to be confidentially mentored and to explore life-related concerns and issues.

The amazing team at Youth Unlimited!

Teen years are tough! Young people are faced with many challenges today - physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually. They are also faced with finding a safe place to spend time with friends, and what to do when they get there. Rose and her team at Youth Unlimited join them on their journey and have developed many programs to help keep them engaged and facilitate healthy growth.

Youth Unlimited's programs include:

•  Friday night drop-in at The Deck Youth Centre 7 to 10 pm (ages 13-19)

•  Monday ‘Homework Helps’ 5 to 7 pm (all youth)

•  Tuesday night ‘Girls Only’ small group 6:30 to 8:30 pm (ages 12- 19)

•  Wednesday YPN—Young Pregnant in Niagara prenatal class 3:30 to 5:30 pm (up to age 23)

•  Wednesday night ‘Man Time’ small group 7 to 9 pm (ages 13 to 19) 

•  Thursday ‘Young Moms’ 4 to 7 pm (up to age 23)

•  Summer camp and special events

The Youth Unlimited team meet the youth where they are at in their daily lives and offer friendship and support, a listening ear and helpful direction, as well as problem solving guidance and conflict resolution. The centre also includes a baby boutique (gently used baby clothes), teen closet (gently used clothes/shoes/gowns), and food pantry.

Touring through The Deck

With all of the positive work going on at the centre, they are looking to expand! They want to add a teaching kitchen space, more room for young moms and their children, and improve accessibility, among many other great features. That's why we have decided to partner with the centre, Rinaldi Homes has committed $25,000 to help the centre continue to provide amazing services to youth in Niagara!

We were able to attend the Young Moms Christmas party this week to present our donation, and they were so appreciative! There was so much joy and Christmas spirit filling the play rooms - with babies as young as 11 days old.

Youth Unlimited is always looking for more volunteers - women and men! If you would like more information visit yfcstcatahrines.com for more information.

Presenting our donation to Youth Unlimited!

#12DaysOfGiving Day 1 - Big Brothers Big Sisters

The #12DaysOfGiving is back!

It's time to get in the Christmas spirit, and what better way than to give back to our community. This year we started by reaching out to our team to see which organizations they would like to partner with, and we have come up with a great line-up!

Day 1 of giving began on Saturday when we had our Construction team out to the Niagara Ice Dogs game. Along with our team we welcomed a big group from Big Brothers Big Sisters! With our team being so busy, it was a nice outing for them to relax and enjoy some team bonding. The mentors and kids from BBBS loved the game and they had the chance to see an exciting one that ended in OT!

The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization has such a huge impact in our community and we were happy to be able to kick off the #12DaysOfGiving with them. The proven results that mentorship has is amazing, take a look below:

We would like to thank not only the staff at BBBS, but also the volunteers that dedicate time to mentoring children in our community! 

Day FIVE: Empowering Youth Through Mentorship

Big Brothers was founded in St. Catharines on May 28, 1937. As Canada’s leading child and youth mentoring charity, Big Brothers Big Sisters facilitates life-changing relationships that inspire and empower children and youth to reach their potential, both as individuals and citizens. In the past year, Big Brothers Big Sisters served 1037 children! Wondering how it is possible to pull all of this off? There are 542 volunteers who gave their time to provide friendships and guidance to the young children of our community.

The Mentoring Effect

"Mentoring is the key to unlocking a young person’s potential and making a lifelong impact. through our research, carefully documented outcomes and evaluation process, we at Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Catharines- thorold & district know that mentorship positively and dramatically alters the course of a young person’s life and the volunteer’s life too." - Dale J Davis, CEO

Changing the course of young lives changes the future of communities. Big Brothers Big Sisters returns positive results in the mental health, employment and civic engagement of the recipients of our mentoring programs. In a recent Social Return and Investment Study, $1 invested in mentoring by Big Brothers Big Sisters returns $18 to society!

The effect of mentoring on youth:

63% of mentored youth went on to have post secondary education

Adults who had a mentor in their youth earn $315,000 more income in their lifetime.

47% hold senior leadership positions.

Teens who engage in mentoring are 1/2 as likely to engage in alcohol and drug use.

Boys are 2 times less likely to engage in bullying.

Girls are 4 times less likely to engage in bullying.

Volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters

Have you been thinking that mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters only includes one-to-one, long-term matches? Think again!

Big Brothers Big Sisters offers a wide range of mentoring opportunities to meet the varied needs of volunteers, children and families.

Serving as role models, our mentors teach by example the importance of giving and giving back, of staying in school, and for having respect for family, peers and community

Mentoring Programs include:

• Big Brothers Mentoring
• Big Sisters Mentoring
• In-School Mentoring
• Big Bunch
• Go Girls! Group Mentoring
• Game On! Group Mentoring 
• Enrol a Little
• Kids Corner

Learn more about BBBS: http://www.bbbsmentors.ca/en/Home/mentoringprograms/default.aspx

Rinaldi Homes Welcomes Big Brothers Big Sisters to the Ice Dogs Game!

We donated 20 tickets to Big Brothers Big Sisters for children and mentors to attend the game tonight. We are so excited to share in a great night! Keep an eye on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live pics at the game. GO DOGS GO!