Ed Holder and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of London and Area celebrated the February 16 Family Day holiday with more than 550 London kids of all ages at Ed’s Skate For Kids celebration at the John Labatt Centre.

This was the second year that Ed hosted a Family Day skate at the JLC.  Each has been focused on providing London families with a fun outing on this newest of Ontario holidays.  The family skates have always been free.  This year’s attendees were simply asked to make a non-perishable food donation at the door to the London Food Bank, an essential family service during these tough economic times.  More than 25 boxes of food was collected and given to the London Food Bank - just because Londoners care!

The tie in with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of London and Area made this year’s Skate For Kids particularly special.  On February 1 of this year Big Brothers and Big Sisters in our region followed the success of other Big Brothers Big Sisters locations across Canada and became a unified organization. 

Sheila O’Neill, the Resource Development Manager for the new organization said, “Unification is an excellent opportunity for both Big Brothers and Big Sisters to take what we do best and make it even better for the benefit of children and families in our community. Looking ahead, we will be able to serve more children for longer periods of time and offer enhanced programs and enriched experiences for both boys and girls.  We are thrilled to have our first unified event at the Ed Holder Skate For Kids.  This was a fun way to begin our new journey together!”

If you would like further information on how to become a Big Brother or Big Sister or finding a mentor for your child, please call 519-438-7065 or visit their website at www.bbbsola.org.