On Monday March 13, MPP Rick Byers met with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grey Bruce (BBBSGB) and members of its Youth Council from three communities to hear how a $99,600 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) has made an impact. The grant was awarded in the spring of 2022 to help it adapt and expand on its approach to mentorship by implementing a youth leadership council.
“Thank you to the Ontario Trillium Fund for your support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grey Bruce through the Resilient Communities Fund. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides excellent support our youth and families in our Grey Bruce community. Thank you for your great work,” said Bruce Grey Owen Sound MPP Rick Byers.
The Resilient Communities Fund grant program was developed by OTF in 2020 to help non-profit groups rebuild and recover from the impacts brought on by the pandemic. In addition to launching its Youth Council, the year-old grant has also helped BBBSGB hire a second full-time Mentorship Coordinator. Monday’s event was held at Georgian College as the Youth Council engaged in a day of digital storytelling, animation creation and leadership development, all made possible by the Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
“The impact OTF has made on our agency and the youth and families we serve has been tremendous,” said Beth Aubrey, Executive Director of BBBSGB. “Our youth council has truly worked to build resilience and foster growth. We look forward to seeing just how far the ripples go.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters welcomes youth interested in joining the Youth Council and encourages other agencies to enroll youth by calling 519-376-4449.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Grey Bruce (BBBSGB) has been supporting youth and families for over 60 years. As an organization, its collective mission to promote the healthy development of all children and youth within local communities through a variety of high quality, volunteer-based, mentoring programs. BBBSGB works to match young people facing adversity with well- informed, accepting and diverse adults with the proven outcome of promoting resiliency and increasing health and wellbeing in youth across time.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations celebrates 40 years of grant making in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
