Tom Thornton and Ron Bartleet make up just one of the many teams that will tackle this month’s 2009 Targa of Newfoundland.
They want to have fun and win as much as the next team, but they have one more reason for taking the green flag — showing us what cool things can happen if you take the time to be someone’s big brother or big sister.
You see, about 40 years ago, Tom became the Big Brother to six-year old Ron, a commitment that was slated to last until the Little Brother turned 17.
“We didn't pay attention to that,” says Tom. “We just kept going.”
They have had lots of great shared experiences over the decades, including winning a Big Brother car rally in Toronto in 1977 (in a yellow Renault!), but Tom figures their run at the Targa will be, “the biggest … the icing on the cake.”
Apparently, it was all Ron’s idea. A segment on the Targa on TSN gave him the bug. He told me, “We should do that… It should be on our bucket list.” I said, “Yeah, that's a good idea. How about you work on that?”
Ron did “work on it.” In fact, he had another idea — to do the tour in aid of Big Brothers and Big Sisters. As the current president of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Niagara Falls, he, like Tom, is keenly aware of the constant need for more volunteers and support.
He wasn’t sure how Big Brothers and Big Sisters could be involved and benefit from the event, but approached the national association with the idea. After Ron came in for a brain storming session, the national group said they would take it from there. After that, followed 10 months of silence.
“Then I got an email in late March telling me to start packing.”
Reconnecting
Mini Canada stepped up big time, by offering a Targa-ready Mini, complete with pit crew.
And the theme and goal of the effort coalesced to be one of “reconnecting.”
“There are over 750,00 ‘bigs'’ and ‘littles’ out there, that the alumni has lost contact with,” notes Tom. “Our goal between now and 2013 is to reconnect with 100,000. With this Targa effort, we're hoping to sign up 100 each day.”
Ron and Tom will take five days to drive their Mini from Niagara Falls to Newfoundland, stopping on the way to get the word out on the reconnecting initiative. Then there will be five Targa days.
They encourage everyone, but especially former bigs and littles, to follow their progress on the website, www.thebigrace.ca.
“We’ll be uploading to that website every day,” adds Tom. We’ll have a camera in the car. We’ll do interviews, hopefully with other bigs and littles along the way and in Newfoundland.”
Former bigs and littles can also register on the website, to win an all expense-paid trip to watch the Targa, and by registering so, they get back on the database. In this way, they reconnect with the agency, but also, hopefully, with their respective bigs and/or littles.
Why is it so important to get them reconnecting and back into the fold?
The benefit to the Big Brother and Big Sister organization comes when others “hear their stories,” says Ron. “It’s the biggest tool we have, to help us get funds and volunteers.”
Bonding over cars
In other words, the agency wants to hear and publicize other stories like that of Tom and Ron, where the big brother/big sister relationship made a difference, and created a relationship valued by both parties. Hopefully this will encourage others to get involved with the program.
“Ron was crazy about cars, and so was I,” recalls Tom. Accordingly, the agency matched them up all those years ago.
“We went to every car show you could image… and every year, when the new cars came out, we visited showrooms together.”
Forty years later, they’re visiting Newfoundland together, in a very cool race-prepped Mini, to compete in Canada’s famous rally.
While Tom’s previous rallying experience was undertaken “some time ago” and Ron's rallying experience has been limited, they're not intimidated.
Notes Ron: “When it comes to sports, Tom and I are pretty competitive minded guys. We’ll give it our best shot right to the end.”
photo:Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
They want to have fun and win as much as the next team, but they have one more reason for taking the green flag — showing us what cool things can happen if you take the time to be someone’s big brother or big sister.
 |
| Racing for Reconnection Big Brother, Tom Thornton (left, foreground), and his Little of 40 years, Ron Bartleet, along with Surafel and Jordan (both Little Brothers). |
You see, about 40 years ago, Tom became the Big Brother to six-year old Ron, a commitment that was slated to last until the Little Brother turned 17.
“We didn't pay attention to that,” says Tom. “We just kept going.”
They have had lots of great shared experiences over the decades, including winning a Big Brother car rally in Toronto in 1977 (in a yellow Renault!), but Tom figures their run at the Targa will be, “the biggest … the icing on the cake.”
Apparently, it was all Ron’s idea. A segment on the Targa on TSN gave him the bug. He told me, “We should do that… It should be on our bucket list.” I said, “Yeah, that's a good idea. How about you work on that?”
Ron did “work on it.” In fact, he had another idea — to do the tour in aid of Big Brothers and Big Sisters. As the current president of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Niagara Falls, he, like Tom, is keenly aware of the constant need for more volunteers and support.
He wasn’t sure how Big Brothers and Big Sisters could be involved and benefit from the event, but approached the national association with the idea. After Ron came in for a brain storming session, the national group said they would take it from there. After that, followed 10 months of silence.
“Then I got an email in late March telling me to start packing.”
Reconnecting
Mini Canada stepped up big time, by offering a Targa-ready Mini, complete with pit crew.
And the theme and goal of the effort coalesced to be one of “reconnecting.”
“There are over 750,00 ‘bigs'’ and ‘littles’ out there, that the alumni has lost contact with,” notes Tom. “Our goal between now and 2013 is to reconnect with 100,000. With this Targa effort, we're hoping to sign up 100 each day.”
Ron and Tom will take five days to drive their Mini from Niagara Falls to Newfoundland, stopping on the way to get the word out on the reconnecting initiative. Then there will be five Targa days.
They encourage everyone, but especially former bigs and littles, to follow their progress on the website, www.thebigrace.ca.
“We’ll be uploading to that website every day,” adds Tom. We’ll have a camera in the car. We’ll do interviews, hopefully with other bigs and littles along the way and in Newfoundland.”
Former bigs and littles can also register on the website, to win an all expense-paid trip to watch the Targa, and by registering so, they get back on the database. In this way, they reconnect with the agency, but also, hopefully, with their respective bigs and/or littles.
Why is it so important to get them reconnecting and back into the fold?
The benefit to the Big Brother and Big Sister organization comes when others “hear their stories,” says Ron. “It’s the biggest tool we have, to help us get funds and volunteers.”
Bonding over cars
In other words, the agency wants to hear and publicize other stories like that of Tom and Ron, where the big brother/big sister relationship made a difference, and created a relationship valued by both parties. Hopefully this will encourage others to get involved with the program.
“Ron was crazy about cars, and so was I,” recalls Tom. Accordingly, the agency matched them up all those years ago.
“We went to every car show you could image… and every year, when the new cars came out, we visited showrooms together.”
Forty years later, they’re visiting Newfoundland together, in a very cool race-prepped Mini, to compete in Canada’s famous rally.
While Tom’s previous rallying experience was undertaken “some time ago” and Ron's rallying experience has been limited, they're not intimidated.
Notes Ron: “When it comes to sports, Tom and I are pretty competitive minded guys. We’ll give it our best shot right to the end.”
photo:Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada