By Joanie Newman and
Sarah Thompson
Special to the Observer
As things slowly move back to normal, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Quesnel is going full steam ahead with new fundraisers and programs for the community.
The last few months have seen a lot of changes at BBBSQ as we adapt to the ‘new normal’ presented to us by COVID-19.
Lorene Pulles moved to her house in the Maritimes to be closer to family.
Sarah Thompson was hired as executive director in Lorene’s place.
We were sad to see Lorene go, but happy to have our mentor co-ordinator Sarah step into a bigger role within the agency.
Part of this role has been to help with fundraisers as programs, like the Purple Bins, have been closed due to COVID-19.
At this time there is no set date for the Purple Bins to reopen, but we are hopeful that September will have a concrete plan for the bins.
BBSQ’s Golf for Kids Sake has been revised to accommodate social distancing, meaning that we will be going forward with a Golf Your Way for kids Sake. Golf Your Way will start Aug. 1 and end Aug. 15.
Participants sign up with Joanie at our office either in person or by calling 250-992-7257.
More information on this event will be shared through our Facebook and Insagram (BBSQues).
READ MORE: North Cariboo Seniors’ Council receives $10,000 from United Way
BBSQ received funds from United Way Northern BC to provide healthy activities for our Littles during the summer as no group outings are available at this time.
Activities so far have included making fruit skewers and meat with cheese skewers for their families to enjoy.
The latest activity was a make your own pizza kit that included fresh dough from the Quesnel Bakery and a pizza pan with toppings for the kids to make pizza with their family.
As we move closer to the school year, one of our biggest goals is to implement our programs into a virtual interface.
By moving to a virtual framework, programs such as Go Girls that were originally offered in schools could be accessed from the comfort of the participant’s living room.
This will also allow us to reach out to more surrounding communities in our catchment area who may have had less access in the past.
Sarah Thompson is the executive director and Joanie Newman is the fundraising co-ordinator/bookeeper with Big Brothers Big Sisters Quesnel.
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