November 7, 2006

The Guelph Athletic Club presented Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph with a $50,000 cheque today at their Grand Opening celebration. “This is the largest one-time donation in our agency’s history”, said Shari Lynn Ladanchuk, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph.

This donation will help reach thousands of children and youth in the Guelph community. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph relies heavily on the support of local businesses, such as The Guelph Athletic Club, corporate partners, fundraising events, individual gifts and generous funding from the United Way of Guelph and Wellington. These funds help Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph promote the healthy development of children and youth in the community through a variety of quality mentoring programs, including One-to-One Match, Couples Match, In-School Mentoring, Group and Go Girls.

 “The owners, staff and members of The Guelph Athletic Club should be proud of their company’s commitment to serving children and youth in our community”, said Michael Fox, President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph. “Our agency is very pleased to have been selected as the recipient of this generous donation”, Fox said.

The Guelph location is the seventh and largest member of The Athletic Club facilities. “We feel Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph has an excellent reputation and does great work”, said Alan Quesnel, President of The Athletic Club Group.

“My brother and I were fortunate to have our own Big Brothers growing up. Through this donation, we are giving back to an organization that provided us with the experience of a mentor”, Quesnel said.