A Windsor philanthropist has given back to the organization that mentored him when he was younger.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex, which has paired volunteer mentors with children and youth for about half a century, has announced that a $500,000 donation has been given to them by local businessman Al Quesnel. The gift has been made in honour of Quesnel's former "big brother", Kirk Windibank.
A cheque presentation took place Friday at the Big Brothers Big Sisters headquarters in Windsor. The agency said the donation will not only enrich the experience of the 200 volunteer mentors and the 800 young people in the Windsor-Essex program, but also help provide opportunities for the young people on their current waiting list to have "big brothers" or "big sisters" of their own.
Quesnel, known for his recent donation to St. Anne's Church in Tecumseh as well as his offer to help renovate Assumption Church in Windsor, said children deserve to have a caring person in their lives like he had when he was a boy.
"Every child's life is a blessing, and all deserve good role models alongside them for guidance on life as well as their future paths while they grow into adulthood," said Quesnel.
Becky Parent, executive director of BBBS of Windsor-Essex, said the need for mentors is getting bigger all the time.
"Even though the Windsor Essex story is one of recent economic rebound, the devastating results of those years of recession have left in its wake some changing and challenging realities for many of our region’s families," said Parent. "As a result, in recent years, we’ve experienced tremendous growth in the number of children and youth needing a mentor, and even though we served more than 800 young people last year, our current resources are neither equipped to keep up with the increase in numbers nor the complexity of need."
Seven programs will be helped by this donation. Complete information on all of their programs is available on the official BBBS Windsor-Essex website.