The return of their Diva for a Day event was one of the highlights of the summer so far for Big Brothers Big Sisters Prince Albert. (Submitted Photo/Natasha Thomson)

By Rob Mahon

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Return of fundraising, spudnuts part of big summer for P.A.’s Big Brothers Big Sisters

Jul 26, 2022 | 4:00 PM

After two summers with pandemic restrictions in place, things are beginning to return to normal for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Prince Albert.

They’re returning to a traditional spot at the P.A. Exhibition and bringing with them one of the event’s signature treats.

“Things are slowly coming back to normal,” said Natasha Thomson, development coordinator with BBBS of Prince Albert. “We are excited that this summer we’re able to have our spudnuts fundraiser at the Prince Albert Exhibition.”

This will follow a successful fundraiser earlier on in the summer, and the return of spudnuts (potato-based donuts) will no doubt be a big hit as well, as they’re an exceedingly popular item at the Exhibition. In the rare year when those haven’t been there, fair-goers have been very disappointed.

“Things are really picking up,” noted Thomson. “We have some other places doing fundraising for us as well, like Knotty Pine… coming up later this week, Lake Country Co-Op is doing a swim and movie night with proceeds going to us. This seems like it is a really busy summer.”

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She added if anyone wants to volunteer their time at the spudnuts booth at the fair, they’d be welcome as they’re hoping to make thousands of them.

Meanwhile, times have gotten busier in another sense for BBBS. As is the case for so many other community organizations, they’re seeing more and more people in need of their help.

“We’ve been unable to meet that increase (in demand) because at the same time we’ve had a hard time finding enough volunteers during the pandemic,” Thomson said. “The number of people applying with us has increased in recent months, but it’s a slow process applying to be a big brother or big sister, so we’re still waiting to see an increase.”

Vetting volunteers is especially important for an organization like BBBS, as those volunteers will spend a lot of time with the people they partner with. As such, donations like the ones provided by both businesses like Co-Op and individuals have been hugely helpful.

“Our funding is used to recruit, screen, and train volunteers that we can match with children who are waiting for a mentor,” added Thomson. “So of course, that does give us standard costs such as staffing, insurance, and accounting.”

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP