BBF IS BACK!!!
Well, actually this is a blatant lie! We never left, we never stopped supporting our students, and we never stopped working towards our goal of helping families out of poverty. We are continuing in our mission to level the playing field for vulnerable students.
During Covid times, the BBF Directors continued to meet monthly. It was not easy, meeting outdoors in cool temperatures and rain. When restrictions dictated that we could not meet outdoors and distanced, we held monthly email meetings. The back-and-forth nature of these correspondence meetings sometimes lasted a week! But we are all passionate about Bright Beginnings Foundation and its purpose.
We were all absolutely thrilled to meet each other masked-face to masked- face and distanced, recently! We had so much to talk about and big decisions to make. We talked about our students, how to safely resume fundraising, how to better connect with our supporters and, most of all, BBF’s bright future. More on that later.
But first…
In their own words
One of our students wrote us a very nice letter of gratitude. Here is part of the letter:
It means a lot to have such a supportive staff to not only care about my educational goals, but my mental health and my family’s health and well being as well.
I really don’t know where I would be right now if I didn’t receive your assistance. I am so grateful for the help BBF has given me.
The additional help that BBF has given me has given me understanding that financial burdens should not be an obstacle to getting a good education. I am looking forward and super excited to graduate and get a good job so, along with BBF, I can help out other students who are like me.
As you know, BBF is respectful of the privacy of our students. Some of them do not wish to have any identifiers published. However, there is one student who has always been open. Shawn spoke to us at our Bright Futures for Surrey Youth Banquet. He has graduated from his program at VCC and is now furthering his education and attending Douglas College. He wants to become a Counselling Therapist, and we are extremely proud of him. This is Shawn’s final report to BBF…
To the BBF Team,
I would like to give thanks to BBF and express my gratefulness for supporting me, my education and my family for these past two years. I’m beyond grateful for the effort the organization had put into supporting me through my education with all the fundraisers and events held to keep me financially afloat.
This past year has put a lot into perspective and allowed me to see things more than just the “rose-tinted glasses” version of what I’d hoped for. I am nonetheless glad to have gone through music school and have no regrets, I’m leaving knowing I have an education and diploma in something I love very dearly, Music. I will be heading off to Douglas with a more structured plan by having a greater mindset on what career versus passion means. The experience has helped me make better decisions for my livelihood and general well-being.
I can never express how grateful I am for all the effort the foundation has put towards funding me through these past two years. All I can say is thank you for having faith in me and wishing nothing but the best for me.
Thank you, Shawn
Though Bright Beginnings Foundation was restricted in the way we raised funds, we have not stopped fundraising. While we were unable to throw our usual fun-filled banquet and plant sales we did manage to raise funds. We continued to apply for grants and solicit donations. We held online Spring and Fall Bulb Sales and even had informal “Boot Sales” of hostas and ferns. And our Monthly and Annual Donors (aka BBF BFFs) did not abandon us. We are tremendously fortunate to have weathered this storm well enough to carry on our work.
Our good fortune will directly benefit students and their families. We are thrilled to announce that we are able to provide
BBF Bursaries to two students in February!!
We are excited to have the chance to make a positive difference in the lives of two students and their families!!
Please help us change the lives of students and their families.
Consider making a donation to Bright Beginnings Foundation. Or, better still, become a BBF BFF. As you know, we are solely a volunteer-driven group. 99% of your donation goes towards providing BBF Bursaries for our students. On our behalf, Vancity Community Foundation provides tax receipts for all gifts over $20.
DONATE HERE
