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On behalf of our Board of Directors and staff, we are proud to share that our Executive Director, Liz O’Neill, was chosen as one of four finalists for Lifetime MENTOR USA Achievement Award! Liz will be invited to receive her award in Washington, DC next week!

The award is given to an individual “who has dedicated their life’s work to supporting youth through mentoring programs.” For over forty years, Liz O’Neill has dedicated her career to improving the lives of children through expanding and enhancing mentoring programs and relationships at the Local (Edmonton), Provincial (Alberta), National (Canada), and International levels. In 1979, Liz became the Executive Director of Big Sisters of Edmonton. The agency at that time served 50 children with a budget of $60,000. Under Liz’s leadership, Big Sisters and Big Brothers merged in 1991, and created Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton and Area. In 2011, Big Brothers Big Sisters went through another merger, this time with Boys and Girls Clubs of Edmonton to create Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters, the first amalgamation of its kind in North America. Today the agency has over 3,000 volunteers, serves more than 5600 children and youth, has a staff of 100+ and a budget of just over $7.5 Million. The organization’s remarkable growth and impact is a result of Liz and her staff’s unwavering commitment to ensuring kids and families are supported, and have opportunities regardless of socio-economic status.

A huge congratulations to Liz on this incredible honor!

MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership is proud to announce this year’s recipients of the Excellence in Mentoring Awards! These awards are presented annually to individuals and organizations that have made tremendous contributions to young people and the mentoring field. Held at a special Library of Congress reception, this Excellence in Mentoring Awards Dinner will kick off the ninth-annual National Mentoring Summit.

As we end #MentoringMonth across North America, it’s fitting to recognize Liz as a mentor to many of our staff, volunteers, children and families over the past 4 decades.

For more information about the award, visit: https://www.mentoring.org/2019/01/proudly-announcing-the-2019-excellence-in-mentoring-award-recipients/

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