Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orillia (BBBS) now has a state-of-the-art office thanks to a $36,300 capital grant from the Ontario Trillium Fund (OTF).

Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop visited the 17 Colborne St. E. office Friday morning to meet staff and see how the money was spent.

“Congratulations on another successful grant application,” said Dunlop. “It’s amazing for me to make these calls to organizations in the community that are having a huge impact on, in this case, children and youth in the community,” she said.

Miranda Chaffey, executive director of Orillia’s BBBS, said the money replaced an outdated computer system, the hodge-podge of old desks and chairs and poor-quality shelving to increase organization, efficiency and comfort in the office.

“We got some IT equipment to be able to digitize our case files,” she said. “We have a lot of confidential information, so it’s important to store that safely,”

Dunlop praised BBBS for modernizing its office and IT equipment, creating a more comfortable space with the grant funding.

The attractive front room is the resource library for BBBS matches to come in and easily find activity supplies in the new cabinets.

“Before we received the grant, all of our program materials were stored in totes, so it was hard to stay organized and it wasn’t efficient at all,” said Chaffey.

The room is also used for up to 10 placement students a year from Lakehead University and Georgian College. The grant allowed BBBS to purchase four student desks equipped with laptops.

Chaffey and the two staff members now have new L-shaped desks with storage, new laptops and ergonomic chairs.

“We can be more comfortable at our working stations which is really important for staff well being,” Chaffey said.

The organization depends on fundraising, donations and sponsorship said Chaffey, adding that those funds must be used for youth programs. The capital funds from the OTF allowed them to spend money on the equipment and furniture.

The next big fundraiser is the 30th Annual Golf for Kids taking place this year at Settlers’ Ghost Golf Club on Aug. 22. The cost is $760 for a foursome and includes breakfast and lunch.

“It’s a really popular tournament. This year, we have increased registration numbers to accommodate 100 golfers,” said Haleigh Payne, fundraising and community development coordinator. “It’s great for the community and the organization because we have a chance to connect with our community members and donors. It helps us enhance relationships, and the golfers have so much fun,” said Payne.

BBBS offers six programs, with he one-to-one mentoring program between a child and an adult volunteer being the primary program.

Community-based mentoring programs involve community outings, typically two a month, for a group of children and mentors, including unmatched children on the waiting list and prospective adult mentors.

In-school mentoring is a one-on-one program between an adult volunteer and a student once a week for an hour at school throughout the school year.

PRISM – Pride, Respect, Identity, Safety, Mentoring is an innovative mentoring program designed specifically for the 2sLGBTQIA+ community with outings twice a month.

Go Girls! is a program for girls between the ages of 10 to 14 and focuses on physical activity, balanced eating, and self-esteem, run by volunteer mentors.

Game On! Eat Smart Play Smart is a program for boys between the ages of 10 and 14, run by male mentors.

A successful Go Girls! program was run this spring, coordinated by Cearia Watton-Somersett, mentoring coordinator.

“We typically have a lot of female mentors, so we are able to run Go Girls! more frequently,” she said. “We struggle to get male mentors, so we are not able to Game On! programs as much as we’d like.

Watton-Somersett says the organization is actively seeking more male volunteer mentors, as they have a long waiting list for not only our group programs but for our one-to-one matches.

For more information about volunteering or programs, call the office at 705-325-3151 or visit their website or email volunteer@bbbsorillia.ca.