BIG NIGHT OUT 2023: EVENT PROGRAM

WELCOME MESSAGES

Thank you for joining us this evening at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto’s Big Night Out Gala! We are absolutely thrilled to have our Community of Care together to ignite the potential in Toronto’s young people! Your support helps us do what we do best – connect a young person facing adversity (our Littles) with a caring and consistent adult mentor (our Bigs).

Toronto’s youth have self-identified that mentorship is essential for their development. Young people enrolled in BBBST programs have shared with us that because of the mentoring relationships with their Bigs, they feel less anxious, less isolated and less depressed, while at the same time, more hopeful about their future.

It is because of the generosity of supporters like yourselves that BBBST is able to continue to invest in the potential of our children and youth in Toronto.

Enjoy your evening and thank you for your support,

Leanne Nicolle CEO & President, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto

This evening, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto community comes together once again for an exciting celebration at Big Night Out. I am a proud past Big Brother and the legacy continues as one of my kids and my future son-in-law are becoming volunteers. My family is here tonight to support and I know firsthand the immense impact a mentor (Big) has on the life of a young person facing adversity.

It is quite a pleasure to serve as the 2023 Big Night Out Honourary Chair and it brings me great joy to work alongside this incredible organization. I would like to share my appreciation to Leanne Nicolle and the team at BBBST for their work in making this inspiring event come true.

Tonight would not be possible without your generous contributions – thank you for all of your support. Working together, we are able to support children and youth facing adversity, and help young people to thrive.

Thank you for investing in Toronto’s youth,

Jay Wright Big Night Out Honourary Chair

EVENING OVERVIEW

ACT 1

Welcome remarks from our host, Devo Brown

A message from our Presenting Sponsor, Scotiabank

Toronto Argonauts Captain, Henoc Muamba, shares his Mentorship Message

Big Brother of the Year Award

Builder of the Year Award

ACT 2

A message from Honourary Gala Chair, Jay Wright

Remarks from BBBST President & CEO, Leanne Nicolle

Big Sister of the Year Award

ACT 3

BBBST Alumni, Thyrone Tommy, introduces the next award

Alumni of the Year Award

Corporate Champion Award

Awards presentation on stage

ACT 4

After Party in the Artifacts Room

Late night treats and headline musical performance by Yorkville Essentials

BID NOW!

BIG NIGHT OUT AUCTION

7-NIGHT GETAWAY TO ST. LUCIA

Enjoy a luxurious seven-night all-inclusive stay for two at WindJammer Landing Villa and Beach Resort – St. Lucia. This package is inclusive of a one-bedroom villa, WestJet flights and private taxi transfer. Roundtrip flights for two guests to any regularly scheduled and marketed WestJet destination.*

*Blackout periods apply

THE CAFA AWARDS

Enjoy two tickets to the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards, a private shopping experience, and a night stay at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

FRIDAY HARBOUR RESORT PACKAGE

Discover 18 holes of tranquil beauty at The Nest Golf Course, designed by award-winning architect Doug Carrick. Enjoy golf for 4 guests, dinner at the Beach Club, and 4 VIP duffle bags.

BIG NIGHT OUT AUCTION

LEAFS VIP EXPERIENCE

You and a guest will enjoy two (2) Gold Seat tickets to a Toronto Maple Leafs regular season home game in 2023-24, pre-game dinner at the exclusive Backstage Lounge by Molson, and a signed authentic Tavares Leafs jersey!

BESPOKE 5-COURSE DINNER

Chef Cesar Penalver of El Tenedor brings his Spanish cuisine right to your kitchen for an evening of delicious, bespoke fine dining. Cesar and his team will craft and serve a custom 5-course menu that will surely wow your guests.

ULTIMATE TRAEGER GRILL PACKAGE

Experience the ultimate outdoor cooking setup with this incredible Ironwood XL grill. Includes a color touchscreen, WiFi connectivity, delivery to your home, and more!

2023 BIGS OF THE YEAR

BBBST is grateful for each of these amazing supporters. Congratulations to our 2023 Bigs of the Year and 2023 Award Recipients!

Big Sister of the Year: Yvette Gnomes

Yvette is currently part of our Big G(randparent) Program but first joined our agency 26 years ago, in 1997! Over the years Yvette has been a Big Sister to 3 Littles, and has mentored countless other youth through our group based programs. Yvette and Blesing have been matched for the last 11 months and they share an incredible bond. Blesing is a young lady who has overcome a great number of obstacles and challenges. Since being matched, Yvette has been a stable, consistent, and supportive presence in Blesing’s life, providing her with guidance as she navigates a difficult and uncertain time at home. Yvette has helped guide Blesing towards success in school, while also supporting her social and emotional needs.

Big Brother of the Year: Marc Duvert

As a child that grew up without a present father, Marc was motivated to join Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto to be a positive male role model in a young person’s life. Marc was matched with Ismael eight years ago. Abram, Ismael’s younger brother, was on our waitlist for quite some time, until Marc stepped up to be his ‘Big’ as well. Marc takes the time to schedule separate visits for both siblings, and at the end of the month they all come together to do an activity as a ‘family’. Marc has been a caring, supportive, mentor for the boys and has made an immense impact on their life.

2023 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Alumni of the Year:

Paula Ramsay

Paula Ramsay is a former BBBST Little in our Pumped for Post-Secondary Readiness Program. After experiencing how much the program positively benefited her in high school, she wanted to provide that same opportunity for other students by becoming a volunteer mentor. Since 2012, Paula has been an incredible role model who has supported Pumped for Post-Secondary program development and innovation by using her unique lens from being a program alumni! Paula has spent countless hours mentoring over 200 students throughout her time with BBBST!

Builder of the Year:

Sheila Harrison

The Builder of the Year is in honour of Sheila Harrison. Sheila created Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto’s Big G(randparent) program for those in the 55+ volunteer age bracket. Sheila was an extremely active member of the community where she would work hard to encourage and recruit volunteers for BBBST. She was a steering committee member of the Federation of North Toronto Residents Association, Director of Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods and long-time board member of the South Armour Heights Residents’ Association. In her neighbourhood, she led annual block parties and in 2020 she organized a daily block music tribute to honour healthcare workers that lasted for 100 days. BBBST is grateful to have known and worked with Sheila, she touched the lives of many members of the BBBST community from the Big G mentors that she recruited, to BBBST staff, and her Little, Reem.

Corporate Champion: Eight Capital

For the last two years, Eight Capital has been a strong contributor and supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto. In November 2022, they hosted an incredible third party fundraiser for BBBST, raising critical funds to help us open up an office in Regent Park and match 44 young people on our waitlist with a mentor. Eight Capital believes in the work of BBBST and we are grateful for this true, authentic partnership. Their contribution allows us to continue to provide meaningful mentorship opportunities for young people in Toronto and build thriving communities within the Regent Park neighbourhood.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO

We are so thankful for the support of our Big Night Out Committee and Board of Directors who have helped make this night a success!

Honorary Chair:

Jay Wright

Big Night Out Co-Chairs:

Kelly MacDonald

Sam Petras

Big Night Out Committee:

Harj Shoan

Lindsay Everitt

Sharon Hinds

Vicky Milner

BBBST Board of Directors:

Mark Harrison, Chair

Lisa Boulanger, Vice Chair

Dean McCann, Treasurer

Julie Adam

Peter Block

Randy Carter

Nick Eaves

Nicole Frew

Kathryn Lamothe

Josh Liswood

Kelly MacDonald

Tim Piggott

Aly Rahemtulla

James Ricci

Harj Shoan

Ricardo Stanford

Katy Pitch

Kelly Skinner

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Thank you to our wonderful Big Night Out Sponsors for your generous support, helping us connect children and youth facing adversity with a caring and consistent adult mentor.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSOR

MENTORSHIP SPONSORS

BUILDING BLOCK SPONSORS

ROY FOSS CADILLAC

We’re helping people RISE by committing $500 million in community investment by 2030.

Through ScotiaRISE, we’re working to promote economic resilience in the communities we operate in. Together, we can create more economically inclusive and resilient communities, and be here for every future.

Nous aidons les gens à être INSPIRÉS à

des investissements communautaires de 500 M$ d’ici 2030.

Grâce à ScotiaINSPIRE, nous nous employons à promouvoir la résilience économique au sein des communautés dans lesquelles nous œuvrons. Ensemble, nous pouvons créer un monde plus inclusif et résilient pour tous. Et pour l’avenir de tous.

Learn more at scotiabank.com/scotiarise

Pour en savoir plus, visitez la page banquescotia.com/scotiainspire