Why We Support Big Brothers & Big Sisters or Boys and Girls Clubs

As a small business in a small community, why would you want to reach out and support a charity such as Big Brothers & Big Sisters (BBBS), The Boys & Girls Club, Girl Guides, or Scouts.

A better question to ask is, why would you not?

Personally, I cherish the time I spend with our local BBBS community. I have children of my own and there have been times where as a parent I’ve had to work very long days. In those times, my son or daughters might have needed a Big Brother or Big Sister. I was fortunate enough to have the support of other family members, but I know many other parents don’t have enough support. I speak from experience when I say a tired parent can only do so much for a child. My fear, as a mother, has always been the possibility of a child not having enough positive adult role models in their young lives. I believe that every parent should know they are not in it alone in raising their child, and that their community is there for them.

For me, there is a joy in giving some of my time to BBBS, and pride in seeing respect in a little persons eyes.  I love the feeling that these kids know that I am there for them, and only them.  These little ones did not ask to be put in the position of needing an extra parent, sister or brother. My desire is to let them see that they matter, that there is someone there for them. When I’m with the BBBS kids they are the only thought on my mind — not work, not the weekend coming — just them. Children NEED role models and mentors. I want them to become the next generation of productive, well nurtured members of my communities.

Being a positive role model for a child teaches them so much. It shows these little members of my community that I care, that a community can to pull together to help one another, and that giving your time feels good. Those feeling help feed a fire in me to do more and give more of my time. It builds the connectedness we all need in our lives.

One of the blessings of my job at Storage Group Alberta is that this company allows me that time to stay involved with the kids and the community. This makes my ties to BBBS and my community grow stronger. MY sense of belonging and my desire to do more grows each year.

Our staff at SGA have a great attitude toward their communities that gets stronger each year. It all started with a small donation from us of “in kind” storage. This involved very little work on our part but it was the spark for a growing passion for BBBS and our community. Donating storage gave this group space at their own building to run events without tripping over equipment.  Some of the equipment we store it for some of their annual fundraising events like “Bowl for Kids”. This event has also proved to be a fun night out for SGA staff. A small expense for our company with big results for BBBS as this evening supplies BBBS with the funds for many hours of mentoring for today’s young minds.

Other small things we do for BBBS that make a difference is that we sell 50/50 ticket at our Lacombe office to help them pay for their facilities. Having a ticket book on a desk takes little effort on our part, but can make a world of difference to the existence of BBBS. We also network on social media to help BBBS source out supplies.

Helping out with storage and fundraisers grew into bigger things. At our Medicine Hat Storage facility we held a charity storage auction that netted the local BBBS over $7000 in 2016 and they are looking to top that this year.  Sponsoring events like this is great exposure for BBBS and our company. To build on this event we partnered with other local businesses. We invited local food trucks and entertainers who shared a portion or all of their profits with BBBS. This has turned out to be such a fun community event that we are hoping to do the same at our Lacombe and Drayton Valley locations.

Through this journey with BBBS I and my company have learned that we can improve the wellbeing of ourselves and other community members, big and small, by giving even just a little bit of our resources and time. See the impact of our contributions to Big Brothers Big Sisters in the letter below!

–Sue Sage