Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Island marks 50 years with Valentine’s fundraiser

Montrealers gathered early Thursday morning at Jack Astor’s in Dorval for the 26th annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of the West Island Valentine’s Fundraiser, as the organization marked its 50th anniversary and renewed its call for community support.

Organizers say the milestone celebration comes at a critical time.

“The biggest challenge we are facing is the ability to raise $100,000 as part of our fundraising efforts,” said Valentino Pietrantonio, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Island.

Beyond fundraising, Pietrantonio said recruiting mentors remains an ongoing challenge, particularly for boys waiting to be matched.

“I would say the biggest need right now is to be able to recruit new mentors,” said Pietrantonio. “That is an ongoing challenge for us and I would say that this year that will be obviously one of our key objectives is to be able to reach out to the community and try to recruit male mentors, particularly because of our long wait list. We have over 75 kids on our wait list. I would say predominantly male children and teenagers. So we are really looking to highlight our efforts in terms of recruiting male mentors to address that wait list need.”

Community leaders say representation among mentors is also essential.

“There are a lot of Black youth on the wait list at Big Brother Big Sister,” said Joan Lee, a Big Sister with Big Brother Big Sister and president of the West Island Black Community Association. “We need more Black bigs to volunteer. It really makes a difference because when they see someone else come in that looks like them they feel more, you know, engaged. They feel more seen because that person looks like me. So representation does matter.”

For Little Brother Pascal Capuano, the program has been a positive experience.

“I think it’s a good experience and I’m really grateful for it,” said Capuano. “If you’re really looking for a relationship I think this is good for you.”

Lee said mentoring is equally rewarding for volunteers.

“It’s so fulfilling and they look at you with so much love and respect that it’s worth it and to know that you could make a true difference in a youth’s life,” said Lee.

Pietrantonio said demand for youth mentoring has grown in recent years, particularly as young people face mounting challenges.

“I would say the key thing that we would want the community to know is that the need for youth mentoring continues to increase and it is very much in many ways a need that has increased in the last five years,” said Pietrantonio. “There’s definitely an unmet community need as we get increasing feedback from the community that teens are really in need of our youth mentoring programs to address issues like mental health, social isolation, bullying in schools. So the programs that we offer become even more important in (20)26 in terms of responding to established community needs.”

Capuano said communication is central to building strong mentor relationships.

“Just keep communicating when you’re in the relationship,” said Capuano. “Definitely look into it because it’s a very good organization and I think that for people it would be very beneficial.”

Supporters say the annual fundraiser also strengthens ties among community groups.

“It’s very nice to support the organization and it’s also a very nice way for all of the community groups to get to see each other and to enjoy good food and to raise money for good cause,” said Linda Sestock, national president of the Canadian Federation of University Women.

As Big Brothers Big Sisters of the West Island celebrates five decades of service, organizers say the message is clear: more mentors are needed to ensure no child remains on a waiting list.