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Big Sisters provide moral support 60% of the Little Sisters come from motherâ€"led single parent families, 14% from fatherâ€"led and 18% from twoâ€"parent families; 45% come from families receiving financial assistance and oneâ€"third live in subâ€" sidized housing. "About oneâ€"quarte whose families are re cial assistance fail a mentary school. This of novertvy on girls. P of poverty * Girls who are socially isolated (shy/withdrawn, poor social skills, peer conflict, culture/language) + Girls experiencing anxiety or depression due to family stresses (breakâ€"up, conflict, financial, blended families) * Girls from oneâ€"parent families (mother or father) * Girls with disabilities * Girls with limited opportunities for social, recreâ€" ational or intellectual stimulation Importance of Big Sisters wWHO BENEFITS FROM A BIG SISTER? ordin THURSDAY 7:00 pm 7:15 pm 7:25 pm 7:55 pm FRIDAY 7:00 pm 7:15 pm 7:45 pm 8:15 pm 8:45 pm SATURDAY 1:00 pm 1:30 pm 2:00 pm 2:30 pm 3:00 pm 3:15 pm 3:30 pm 4:15 pm 4:.35 pm from oneâ€"parent families (mother or father with disabilities with limited opportunities for social, recre intellectual stimulation UE [0 quarter of our girl: are receiving finan fail a grade in ele ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE SHERWAY SQUARE ene\ is is the impact With about half Honourable Guild of Town Criers Official Opening of Heritage Showcase ‘93 Mark and Martin, Folk Songs Tamara Madden, Paraguayan Harp FEBRUARY Honourable Guild of Town Criers Fort York Regency Dancers Mark and Martin, Folk Songs Fort York Regency Dancers Tamara Madden, Paraguayan Harp Honourable Guild of Town Criers Mississaugas of The New Credit First Nation: Drummers and Singer, Violet Shawanda Parade of Historic Costumes, Background Music by Edwin Gledhill Mark and Martin, Folk Songs King‘s Royal Regiment of New York, Period Drill Tamara Madden, Paraguayan Harp The Annex Singers 78th Fraser Highlanders, Fencing Demonstration Gillian Federico, Celtic Harp and Songs 1 FEBRUARY FEBRI UST virls JARY 20 19 In addition, 58% are experiencâ€" ing stress or depression due to sepaâ€" ration and/or divorce of their parâ€" ents; 32% are coping with conflict and dysfunction in the home; 15% have a history of suicidal or selfâ€" destructive behavior including eatâ€" ing disorders and 28% have a develâ€" opmental delay or specific learning disability. All of this information adds up to "a lot of stress" for the nonâ€"profit 18 IC re at risk load in welfare PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR CHILDREN AT RISK: ers) Girls who lack an appropriate female role model Girls with other difficulties Good friendships Presence of an adult confidant Development of confidence Good participation in a variety of activities Good social skills (getting along well with oth IMLIE ANTIQUE & CLASSIC CAR CLUB OF CANADA ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE CENTRE ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO BLACK CREEK PIONEER VILLAGE BRAMPTON QUILTERS® GUILD CABBAGETOWN PRESERVATION TORONTO & YORK DIVISIONS CANADIAN RAILROAD HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION CHP HERITAGE CENTRE BRAMPTON SCOTTISH CLUB CITY OF YORK LACAC CLANS AND SCOTTISH SOCIETIES OF CANADA CLAN MacNEIL IN CANADA CLAN GREGOR SOCIETY OF CANADA COMMUNITY HISTORY PROJECT COSTUME SOCIETY OF ONTARIO UPPER CANADA CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION DUNDURN PRESS EAST YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY ETOBICOKE HISTORICAL BOARD/ALACAC ETOBICOKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ETOBICOKE QUILTERS GUILD GIBSON HOUSE THE GRANGE them partâ€"time including the execuâ€" tive director, "The stress level in the commuâ€" nity is very high, and as it filters down to the kids, the levels of abuse and depression go up. This is the reason why our waiting list is up." The Oakville Big Sister Association was founded in 1968 by a dozen local women "who were concerned over the difficulties young girls in the community were facing. " said Penson, "mainly lack 1gent cing run by a staff of four irtâ€"time including the HERITAGE SHOWCASE EXHIBITORS ;|. 1 e i2 \ ) UPPER CANADA HUMBER HERITAGE COMMITTEE JAMES McCOWAN MEMORIAL SOCIAL HISTORY SOCIETY JAMES SHAVER WOODWORTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MECKLENBURG HOMESTEAD FOUNDATION LA SOCIETE D‘HISTOIRE DE TORONTO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO LINCOLN & CONTINENTAL OWNERS CLUB MISSISSAUGA HERITAGE FOUNDATION MISSISSAUGAS FIRST NATION METRO TORONTO & DISTRICT BRANCH THE MONARCHIST LEAGUE OF CANADA MONTGOMERY‘S INN MUNICIPAL CHAPTER OF TORONTO I0DE MUSEUM OF CHILOHOOD NATIVE CULTURAL CENTRE ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM TORONTO CHAPTER ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ONTARIO BLACK HISTORY SOCIETY TORONTO BRANCH ONTARIO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY ONTARIO MUSEUM ASSOCIATION and for social : limited The needs of changed dramat the agency‘s histc girls the domestic arising "out of a changing world," equal opportunity, health promoâ€" tion, selfâ€"esteem and prevention. "Now we teach them how to use computers, selfâ€"defence â€" young girls are afraid. Twenty years ago kids didn‘t have to worry about going out on the street at night. Now we have date rape in schools. "Our focus is prevention, to keep girls out of trouble and to provide them with strong moral support," said Penson, adding the agency runs a Teen Group for girls 13 to 15. Penson noted that the Big Sisters Association of Ontario (BSAO) has been "in the prevention business" for 80 years. The provincial organiâ€" zation started in 1912 and celebratâ€" ed its 80th anniversary last year. The BSAO has 65 member agenâ€" C )pportunit Nn( rtunity and home problems. iy, poverty is kept hidden, a lot of girls, opportunities, nd educational. are still very domestic arts and womanly to focusing on the needs s of young girls have matically throughout history, from "teaching ONTARIO SOCIETY FOR INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY OUR RURAL HERITAGE THE ROUSSEAU PROJECT EARLSCOURT BRANCH 65 ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM THE SALVATION ARMY HERITAGE CENTRE YORK GARRISON MARINE MUSEUM, EXHIBITION PLACE TORONTO‘S FIRST POST OFFICE ONTARIO BRANCH s .2 UKRAINIAN MUSEUM OF CANADA COSTUME BRANCH UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS® ASSOCIATION GOVERNOR SIMCOE BRANCH ‘UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS‘ ASSOCIATION WEST TORONTO JUNCTION HISTORICAL 78 FRASER HIGHLANDERS TORONTO FIELD NATURALISTS TORONTO HISTORICAL BOARD SoCiETY WESTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY YORK PIONEERS & HISTORICAL SOCIETY _ UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS® ASSOCIATION TORONTO BRANCH 2 cies, including Oakville, representâ€" ing over 100 communities across Ontario with 5,000 volunteers, over 3,000 of them in Big and Little Sister matches Penson noted the BSAO has its roots with the Council of Women in Toronto, a group which began helpâ€" ing children "slipping through the cracks of the juvenile justice sysâ€" tem," said Penson. According to ‘Decades of Caring‘ written by Helen Caister Robinson (1979) to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Big Sisters in Toronto, the first such organization in Canada, the agency began as a subâ€"committee of the Local Council of Women in Toronto which responded to a request from a judge to provide assistance to juveniles. That judge was Rev. John Edward Starr, a clergyman who was appointed judge of the first juvenile court formed after the Juvenile Delinquents Act was passed in 1908 stipulating that children under 16 must not be tried in adult court. The agency began with four Big Sisters in 1912. JUDGE ASKED FOR HELP Un np LAKESHORE BLVD DixON RD 2 Big Sisters began taking children under their wing," said Penson, It is not known whether all of these first young charges were girls as the first caseload consisted of an 11â€"yearâ€"old motherless vagrant, an eightâ€"yearâ€" old vagrant child, and a pregnant 14â€"yearâ€"old girl. The Big Sisters established ‘Madison,‘ the first nonâ€"treatment group homefor girls in Canada in 1965, began working with streetkids who "were not able to stay at home and needed support." The organization established a numâ€" ber of group homes and coâ€"op apartments for boys and girls, and provided counselling. + A dramatic change to the orgaâ€" nization came in 1974, when the Big Sister Counselling Service for girls, as it had become known over the years, became Huntley Youth Services, and expanded its services to include boys. Its counselling serâ€" vice gained a higher profile after the Big Sisters moved into its present location, 34 Huntley St., in 1953. © And, also during the 1970s, the BSAO reverted back to its oneâ€"toâ€" one matching of Big and Little Sisters, similar to its early beginâ€" ning when four Big Sisters took troubled children under their wing in 1912. The threeâ€"year experiment of 1972 to have oneâ€"toâ€"one relationâ€" ships under supervision, in addition to the counselling, proved successâ€" ful. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Oakville Big Sister Association plans to hold a Kareoke Party at Evangel Pentecostal Church this Saturday, Feb. 20th, from 1 to 3 p.m.; have a booth at Oakville Place on Feb. 27th, all day; host Bowling for Fun (5â€"pin) at Hopedale Mall Bowling Lanes on March 28th from 1 to 3 p.m.; Earth Day at an Indian Village, a trip to Crawford Lake takes place on April 18th; and there Hopedale office for women‘s centre are plans to revive the Big Sisters Strawberry Tea, last held in Oakville about a decade ago. "The strawberry social was one of our biggest fundraisers with more than 300 people attending," said Penson. And, another major fundraiser, underway since the agency began in town, is the Ladies‘ Marathon Bridge. Another is the annual Carnation Day camâ€" paign. The Oakville Big Sister Association is supported by the Oakville United Way. Multicultural office opening The Halton Multicultural Council will host a Community Open House to celebrate the official opening of its new office on Wednesday, Feb. 24th from 4 to 7 p.m. with a ribbon cutting scheduled for 5 p.m. The Council‘s new offices are located at 635 Fourth Line, Unit 48 in Oakville (rear of plaza at south east side of Fourth Line between Speérs Rd. and Pinegrove). & The Halton Multicultural Council‘s services include: social advocacy and consultation; settleâ€" ment and integration; translation and interpretation; ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor program; and community education. & n The Council‘s Race Relations Committee will be hosting a conferâ€" ence on March 23rd titled "Working Towards Success: Tapping the Potential of a Multicultural Society." , The community is invited to attend the Community Open House and learn more about programs and services. RSVP by calling §42â€"2486 "We are really excited about our move", said Judy Henderson, chair person of the Women‘s Centr board. "We are hoping to be ope Monday to Saturday and plan t offer workshops and courses fo women, and expand our suppo group for recently separated an divorced women." During February, the Women‘ Centre will be open just Tuesda evenings, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. an Thursdays 9:30 a.m.to 3:30 p.m until plans can be finalized. Th support group for recently separate and divorced women meets 0 Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. . by Feb. 22nd "We are also looking for volun teers to help at the Women‘s Centr â€" we need office help as well as women who can lead workshops o help plan our upcoming "Wome helping Women" conference whit will be held on May 15th." i For further information about th¢ Women‘s Centre, phone 238â€"1953. COUNSELLING FOR BOYS Centre of Halton has moved to! Hopedale Mall, Rebecca Street an Third Line, Suite 230. After months of searching, the Women‘s Information and Support When th LW JU nil rnment ourt, the children ison, It is hese first