We are incredibly proud of our board member, Ryan, for receiving the King Charles III Coronation Medal, presented by Senator Pamela Wallin at the Remai Art Gallery in Saskatoon. This prestigious honour recognizes Ryan’s dedication to bringing people together, uplifting others, and fostering positive change across Canada. His work and passion continue to inspire those around him, and this award is a testament to the impact he has made. Ryan, your commitment to shaping a brighter future is truly commendable. As your mother so wisely said, “When the heart dares to dream, wonderful things happen.” Please join us in celebrating this well-deserved recognition!

You know volunteering is a great way to give back to your community, but it’s also a surprisingly powerful way to reap your own rewards—in terms of happiness, salary, career growth and fulfillment. With burnout, stress, dissatisfaction and mental health issues at record highs, volunteering offers an important way to build your own wellbeing while you’re giving back. And despite the obstacles of busy schedules and overloaded calendars, you can find the time. It’s possible to fit giving into your life, and even to shift your perceptions of time—and actually feel like you have more of it. Check out this Forbes article for all of the great and powerful reasons to volunteer and how to easily fit it into your life: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2024/01/21/for-happiness-and-career-growth-consider-the-power-of-volunteering/?sh=2ac14b0f349c

Check out this TEDtalk where Elizabeth Dunn focuses on how "Helping others makes us happier". Now, this seems straightforward, but to some this is controversial and this topic can actually get quite heated. I've recently had discussions where people have said that helping others should be done, for no other reason, than it is the right thing to do. But I pose this to you...what if a person has good intentions to help others, but the driving force or the most important WHY to them is that it makes them happy and it feels good...is that wrong? Imagine a person saying: "Can you believe this guy? He saw an elderly woman struggling with her groceries, so he helped her carry them and now he's walking away with a smile on his face. The nerve! How dare he feel joy or happiness from helping her; he should simply be doing it because it's the right thing to do." As we approach this topic, I think it's important that we be careful not to judge. There's a quote that stands out from Chris Anderson's book Infectious Generosity: "We need not discount the generosity of others just because they may have additional motives for doing what they do… We should be encouraging each other, not finding reasons to tear each other down." So, if you have the time, watch the video and hear out Elizabeth Dunn as she says "Let's stop thinking about giving as just this moral obligation and start thinking of it as a source of pleasure". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUKhMUZnLuw

Regardless of where you are, there can be a lot of doom and gloom out there when you're online. I strongly believe in Goodness inspiring Goodness and how amazing would it be if more good news was shared and 'doom scrolling' was replaced with 'kindness scrolling'? As Jordan Davis said "The world wouldn't seem so bad" and "we'd all sleep a little bit better tonight."  So please, share those Good News stories! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfOOTZlWwgo

When was the last time someone was kind to you? Or you were kind to someone else? What were the ripple effects of those moments? A few days ago, a colleague offered to help me meet a deadline since he had extra time and I was busy. It made me feel appreciated and supported, and eager to aid him in return. Also a few days ago, I wrote a “thinking of you” note to a friend going through a tough time. She was surprisingly grateful, which made the rest of my day feel lighter and more meaningful. None of this would surprise scientists. The “science of kindness” finds that being kind to others not only makes us happier but also healthier. Literally. According to the Mayo Health Clinic, when we are kind, our blood pressure goes down and our serotonin and dopamine—the well-being and satisfaction chemicals in our brain—go up.Being kind helps us as individuals. It also makes our communities healthier. Kindness is contagious. One study showed this by giving participants a certain amount of money, having some of them receive a kind act, and then give part of their money to a stranger. Those who had received a kindness were more generous than those who hadn’t. They paid the kindness forward. We’re so wired to respond to kindness that we don’t even have to actually do it. We become more generous if we just think about doing something kind, or if we see another person do a kindness. This even works in polarized situations. Another study found that thinking about kindness (“befriending meditation”) can reduce our negative feelings about people from the other political party.So why don’t we do kind acts more often? We tend to underestimate exactly how meaningful it will be for the other person when we are kind. We’re shy.We can get over this. We can treat kindness like a muscle, practicing and strengthening our ability. An Oxford University study showed that doing a kind action every day for seven days increased people’s happiness. The more kind acts participants did, the happier they were, regardless of whether the kindness was towards, family, friends, strangers, or themselves. For the full article by Melinda Burrell, and to take part in a 7-day kindness challenge, visit: https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/03/29/be-a-rainbow-in-someone-elses-cloud-how-kindness-makes-us-all-stronger/

What need has your organization addressed in the community due to Discovery Co-op support? Discovery Co-op continues to be our community champion of choice in supporting collective community events among our partner agencies and creating community engagement experiences. Through their support we have been able to bring nutrition support to Youth Forum, Party In the Park, National Child Day, and Meet-a-Machine at no cost to youth and families. It has reduced barriers for those enjoying the events and opportunities and helped create a community of care. Discovery Co-op has also been our Community Experience sponsor for our annual Bowl For Kids Sake signature fundraiser, contributing to the positive experience and memories of youth with a special cup they get to take home and a coupon for a Big Chill treat later. With Party in the Park we feed over 350 community members and create a community celebration that would not be otherwise possible without Discovery Co-op's support. The delicious watermelon continues to be just as much of a highlight as the bouncy castles or foam pit!! Please describe the support received from Discovery Co-op and the impact it has made See above. What support is still needed and how can people learn more or get involved? Our community-based organization is over 90% funded by grants and fundraising, many of which are reapplied for annually and are based on the ability for the community to support with extra funds they might have. They can contact our Program Lead Renee directly to arrange donations (renee.sperling@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca). Our snack nook alone that is available to youth every day in the Shared Spaces is restocked every other week. We also are in the process of developing a nutrition based peer program that would be focused on food creation and developing community. More information on the Shared Spaces is found at: https://battlefords.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/the-shared-spaces-project/ Beyond that we are always looking for volunteer mentors (Bigs), especially Big Brothers to be matched with youth in our community. To start their volunteer process: https://battlefords.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/volunteer/