Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dufferin gets $100,000 funding boost

Written By SAM ODROWSKI

The finances of a local not-for-profit recently saw a significant boost.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dufferin celebrated getting a $102,100 grant through the Ontario Trillium Foundation's Resilient Communities Fund with Dufferin–Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones last Thursday (Mar. 16) during a group outing to the Maple Syrup Festival at Island Lake.

“Big Brothers has been an important part of our Dufferin community for decades. I am pleased to see that through an Ontario Trillium grant, they have been able to hire an additional staff member to meet the increasing needs to better serve youth in our community,” said Jones.

The grant will cover two years of operation at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dufferin and hiring a new staff member to meet the greater demand for local programs. 

The $102,100 will also help the organization transition to new fundraising efforts in a post-COVID world. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children with caring mentors to foster strong relationships and act as positive role models.

“We're extremely grateful to receive the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant. The impacts of COVID were profound on our agency. At the same time, we have seen more families access our programs as many children continue to struggle with the effects of the pandemic. The Trillium grant will allow us to transition into new ways of doing things and also help us serve more children in our local community,” said Nancy Stallmach, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters. “The grant has already allowed us to get our school programs back up and running and in-person.”  

Big Brothers Big Sisters enables life-changing relationships that ignite the power and potential of children facing adversity. To inquire about becoming a volunteer or to sign up a child for Big Brother Big Sister programs, please visit www.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/dufferin.  

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the provincial government and one of Canada's leading granting foundations.

The organization is celebrating 40 years of grant making in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. 

Last year, OTF invested nearly $209 million into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario's Community Building Fund. 

The $102,100 in funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) was given to Big Brothers Big Sisters Dufferin in July 2022.