“It is my hope that those in attendance will desire to be part of the solution for these children.”

Elizabeth Mabie
Special to Spur Ottawa

CityKidz Ottawa is hosting their annual Big Dream Banquet at the RA Centre on November 17. This year’s banquet comes amid a transition for CityKidz, as a three-year $40,000 grant from World Vision concluded this past September. However, CityKidz Ottawa manager Wendy Turpin is hopeful their fundraising can make up the difference.

“A business owner in Ottawa is offering a $5,000 matching donation for anyone who really believes that CityKidz is too valuable to be left in the lurch, now that our World Vision grant has ended,” explains Turpin. “He is challenging others to join him in his commitment to salvage the lives of children in Overbrook.”

CityKidz Ottawa busses children from Overbrook to their interactive Saturday kids’ program. Their goal is to show children from low-income families that they are loved and that there is a Heavenly Father who loves them more than they could ever imagine.

The Big Dream Banquet seeks to raise awareness about CityKidz Ottawa and their mission to build up these children and teach them to dream big. The banquet also helps CityKidz raise money for their programs through a silent auction.

Turpin says there are plenty of exceptional items up for grabs at this year’s auction: autographed Ottawa Senators merchandise, gift baskets, donated handmade goods, and services from various businesses.

“It is my hope that those in attendance will desire to be part of the solution for these children and that they will respond to those opportunities,” says Todd Bender, founder of CityKidz.

CityKidz Ottawa busses children from Overbrook to their interactive Saturday kids’ program. Photo courtesy of CityKidz.

Bender is the speaker at this year’s banquet. The theme is “Small hands, big hearts.” Turpin says they want to highlight the significance of community in a child’s life and how much responsibility the community has in their growth.

Bender says he plans to share the stories of the children CityKidz has helped since its creation in Hamilton, back in 1993. While he says he wants to enlighten the crowd on child poverty and the negative affects it has on families, he also brings a message of hope.

“I will share the fact that these problems are not too much. We already know how to solve them,” Bender says. “One thing CityKidz has proven is that a small group of people, willing to work together and invest the time and effort required, can change the course of a life and of a community.”