Winter / Spring / Summer is it really February?

So February is over, and I am not sure if it is Winter or Summer most days.  We definitely had some snow this month but overall it has been very pleasant.  This has afforded the Panda the opportunity to work on some outdoor running and just being active in the community without freezing to death.  Jackson wraps up his hockey season this weekend and although it has been a disappointing season on the scoreboard, as a team the wins just keep on coming.  It really is amazing when you have the right attitude as a player, parent and/or coach at to what can get done. As a coach I could not be more proud of our team. Abagail continues to show great promise in the horse ring, she is riding with confidence and is excited at every jump, but man is it cold standing there watching and that is with the warmer weather.

As for community based activities, The Panda has been busy doing dishes at Inn-Out-of-The-Cold and getting good food out to many folks.  In some regards it is sad to see the level of need within the community, but on the other hand the folks that come and try to make something better for themselves makes the whole process worthwhile.  It would be nice to see more effort from people to make things better, but often times change can only occur when something big happens. It is just nice to help out and know that we are there to help the folks that want to make a change.

So on that note, The Smart Panda has signed on to be the title sponsor with Big Brothers Big Sisters St Thomas Elgin this year. What better way to drive home the point that everybody needs a trusted advisor and/or partner than helping an organization do just that for kids. We are thrilled to be able to help make matches between deserving kids and motivated mentors to invoke a positive impact on our community.  Our Big Brothers Big Sisters organization supports over 200 kids throughout the area with great one-on-one programs, in school mentoring, couples matches and group mentoring programs like Go Girls, Health Bodies Healthy Minds, Game On, Eat Smart, Play Smart, and Live Smart.

The Mentoring Effect: Changing the course of young lives changes the future of communities. By every measure, Big Brothers Big Sisters returns positive results in the mental health employment and civic engagement of the recipients of our mentoring programs.  Based on statistics from Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada, for every $1 invested in mentoring by Big Brothers Big Sisters returns $18 to society, and among economically disadvantaged groups, $1 invested in mentoring by Big Brothers Big Sisters returns $23 to society. Some other interesting statistics with mentoring at Big Brothers Big Sisters:  13% higher earnings at jobs, 17% more likely to be employed, 47% hold senior leadership positions and 63% have post-secondary education.

At The Smart Panda we are excited to “Start Something”! Check out Big Brothers Big Sisters St Thomas Elgin Web Site