Big Brothers Dust Off Bases

The North Bay Big Brothers Association hosted their 20th Annual Slow-Pitch Tournament this weekend to raise funds to help local area boys.

“It helps with the ongoing activities for the kids. We have camping trips, Christmas Parties, Halloween and Easter parties every activity possible, all year long this is made possible from all these special events the community provides for us” said Moe Bedard, Big Brothers Board Member and tournament convenor.

Bedard also said not only is the event a chance to raise vital funds, but it also enables board members the opportunity to reach out to the community and promote the program.

“Actually we got a potential Big Brother on Saturday morning as one person came up to us and basically asked for some information about Big Brothers and another was a women asking about how to get her son into the program. So every time we get a Big Brother you have the other side of the coin where there is someone looking to put their son into the program and that is what we are here for.”

Bedard points out that the Big Brothers program acts as a preventative measure for potential or at risk boys that are out there with no positive male figure in their lives.

“Basically we have a positive male role model that we provide for the families. And we want to make sure that every boy experiences having an adult male friend in their life, somebody who can be there to help them and share in all the activities they can possibly do.”

Bedard said he was hopeful that the tournament would add a tidy sum to the coffers of the agency however he says when fundraising every year is different and you have to act accordingly.

“We only wish we could have a set figure. But every event has a potential for us to make the maximum money to be able to provide with the utmost service for the kids, because we know the better revenue we have the more activities and the more things we can get for the kids as well. That’s what we are here for, we are here for the kids.”