Additional $25,000 for Big Brothers/Big Sisters

I am very pleased to inform my honourable colleagues of the allocation of a grant of $25,000 to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is in addition to the $50,000 contributed annually to the organization by the Department of Education.

It is a happy coincidence that this new grant is for $25,000 � since this is the 25th anniversary of Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Newfoundland and Labrador!

The organization, whose mandate is to provide quality mentoring programs to children and youth in our province, was founded in the St. John�s/Mount Pearl area in 1975 and has expanded across the province to have offices in Grand Falls, Corner Brook and Stephenville.

This new money will help Big Brothers/Big Sisters increase the number of adult matches available to children in the program, increase the number of caseworkers, and also help to develop and implement new programs such as Life Choices for girls and Right for Me for boys � programs which help equip children and youth with the information they need to make important decisions about life choices.

I am pleased that government is able to help support organizations such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, that do such important work for the children and youth in our province.

Government supports, through the Department of Education Youth Services division, over 40 groups and organizations, such as Cadets, Boys and Girls Clubs, Skills Canada, the School Lunch Association, Girl Guides and the YM/YWCA. Last year, over $600,000 was granted and the budget for this year is nearly a million dollars.

I am sure that my honourable colleagues will recall that a few weeks ago, the premier and I had the pleasure of witnessing a school breakfast program in action and announcing $1 million in endowment funding for the School Children�s Food Foundation. This was in addition to government�s previous investment of $1 million in the foundation in 1998.

I am very pleased that government is able to support the efforts of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and many other organizations that work hard to see that the children and youth of this province have the opportunity to take part in programs that help to enrich their lives.

2000 03 28                                         2:10 p.m.