BCO Founder Pamela Morgan shares her thoughts on this addition to the gala. ​

The Rockin' The Black Tie Affair will be a fun evening out with dinner, silent auction, cigar & scotch garden along with DJ music for some extra fun. 

Limited VIP tickets are available (while they last) which gets you a private pre-cocktail time, red/white wine on your table and a specialty cigar for each person. 

Regular tickets and tables of 8 are also available. 

Make this your office, friend group or neighbourhood night out. It's fun and helps supports our programs along with the Byerley Family. 

​Grab your tickets here.

An evening to forever be remembered.  
Congratulations to BCO founder Pamela Morgan for receiving the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal on January 26th, in Okotoks, Alberta. 
 
Queen Elizabeth II approved the creation of this commemorative medal in honour of the 70th anniversary of Her late Majesty’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada.  This medal will be awarded to 7,000 residents of Alberta who have made a significant contribution to Canada, Alberta, their communities, or fellow citizens.
 
The nomination for the medal came forward from Community Futures Highwood, with the following message:
 
“(Pamela) has demonstrated exceptional qualities and outstanding service to our Province in the fields of volunteerism and public service, by serving on countless boards and organizations, the creation of and work through the charity ‘Baby Its Cold Outside’, and by supporting the Okotoks business community."

A message from Pamela in gratitude for this recognition:

"Thank you to Ursula Sherwood and her amazing team at Community Futures Highwood, Brenda Anne, to Councilor Oliver Hallmark Okotoks Town Council and Foothills County Councilor Don Waldorf and to RJ Sigurdson MLA for presenting this medal to me. It was an absolute honour to share evening with Judy Evans, Verna Staples and Orvella Small as well”. 

Baby it’s Cold Outside Charity is walking together once again for Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) to raise funds for those in need in Okotoks and the foothills area.
Who's coming with us?! 🚶‍♀️ 🚶‍♂️ 🚶‍♀️

The Coldest Night of the Year is a winterrific family-friendly walk to raise money for people in our local community who are experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness.

By walking together in the chill of the night, participants will better understand the experience of being on the streets during a cold Canadian winter, while raising funds to aid the work of Baby It’s Cold Outside Charity in providing much-needed support to our local community 💜

At CNOY 2022, Baby It’s Cold Outside raised $11,000 thanks to the outstanding efforts of 13 local fundraising teams and a grand total of 57 walkers!

We invite you to team up, fundraise, walk, and gather for good on February 25th, 2023 in Okotoks ... because it’s cold out there 🥶

To get involved visit: https://cnoy.org/location/okotoks

As winter settles into southern Alberta, our minds begin to think about the holiday season.  For many of us this brings feelings of joy and excitement, memories of the smell of turkey roasting in the oven, children anxiously awaiting Santa’s arrival and gifts to be opened with friends and family.
​
While most will experience these warm, happy moments over the holidays, not everyone will be so fortunate.  For some, the Christmas spirit will be overtaken by stress and worry over the added financial stress and perceived expectations that come with the season. 

At Baby It’s Cold Outside (BCO), we want to make Christmas just a little bit lighter and brighter for those who need a hand up this year.

How we do this starts with YOU. In the spirit of giving this holiday season, we invite you to participate in our annual Christmas Feast program.

About the Christmas Feast
With generous support from the communities we serve, every year around Christmas Eve our BCO elves visit nominated families and deliver all the ingredients needed for a classic holiday feast, as well as presents for all the children on our list.

2022 marks the sixth year of the program, last year in Okotoks we delivered feasts and presents to 41 families, in Lethbridge we served 3 shelters, 9 seniors and 2 families.

How you can participate
Nominate a family in need that lives in Okotoks, Langdon or Lethbridge, Alberta.  Tell us a little bit about who you are nominating and why you would love to see them supported this Christmas.  Simple as that – from there we look after all the rest of the details! Please note that a “family” can be a single person, or a household with no children too. Nominations must be received by December 15th, 2022.

Volunteer.  There is no greater feeling than seeing the smiles on peoples faces as we deliver meals and gifts to our Christmas Feast recipients. We are looking for volunteers to help us with these deliveries and invite you to join us. 

Donate.  Donations of cash, toys and gifts are always appreciated.  To make donations please contact us directly or use our Canada Helps to donate cash online.

Business sponsorship.  We couldn’t do this without the support of local businesses and once again we are asking you to help us support our community by donating items for the Christmas Feast or offering cash donations.

Contact BCO
Email:bcohelp@hotmail.com
Direct message our social accounts:
          Facebook:@babyitscoldoutsideyyc
    Instagram:@bcocharity
 
THANK YOU to all our past Christmas Feast supporters.  Together we have warmed the hearts and homes of many families in our communities.  

​

Winter and the holiday season can be a difficult time for many people.  Added financial responsibilities like rising utility bills and expectations for holiday gifts can make this season an extra stressful. 

Baby it’s Cold Outside (BCO) is running it’s annual Lethbridge Winter Clothing Drive from November 5th – 26th, 2022 and we are asking for your help supporting people in Lethbridge and surrounding area who need assistance with clothing and essential living supplies. 

What may be considered a “small” donation can still have a big impact on the lives of others. For example, your clothing donations can: 

• Help someone get a job they desperately need
• Send a child to school with “new” clothes
• Keep someone warm at night 
• Provide a sense of confidence and hope
• Support new mothers and help give infants a good start in life  

All donations STAY LOCAL and go to two locations in Lethbridge to assist those in need at little or no cost. 

What to Donate:
Gently used (laundered) clothing is appreciated, but don’t forget that new clothes offer another option for supporting the clothing drive.  Other items that are appreciated include: 

• Runners, work shoes or boots
• Socks & undergarments 
• Living essentials (deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo etc.)

Items that must be bagged separately and labelled:

• Maternity or baby items (newborn to 3T) 
• New baby bottles, diapers, soothers, shampoos, formula, quilts, or blankets

Financial donations are also welcome and accepted here.

Drop Off Locations & Hours
The Collective
1315 3rd Ave S
Drop off hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM

Ashcroft Master Builder office (upstairs) 
102 12th Street South
Weekdays excluding holidays 8:00-5:00 PM

Ashcroft Master Builder show homes
Drop off hours: 
Monday through Thursday 2:00 PM-8:00 PM
Weekends and holidays 12:00 PM-5:00 PM

• 1428 Coalbanks Blvd W
• 106 Goldenrod Way W
• 3011 46th St S

Stranville Living Master Builder show homes

• 269 Lynx Road N
• 4606-31st Ave S
• 1432 Coalbanks Blvd W
• 114 Goldenrod Way W

Avonlea Homes

• 1424 Coalbanks Blvd W
• 110 Goldenrod Way W
• 265 Lynx Rd N
• 4602 31st Ave S

Community Partners
BCO is grateful to Ashcroft Master Builder, Stranville Living Master Builder, Avonlea Homes, and The Collective for providing convenient drop off locations.

And we can’t forget to thank YOU, the people of Lethbridge and area who have supported our clothing drive in the past.   Your generous contributions are always appreciated by BCO, but more so by the people in your local community who need them.  

Our hearts are full after our recent fall gala Rockin’ The Black Tie Affair. ❤️ Thank you to everyone who supported the event, your contributions will be well used to give a hand up to people in need in our local community.

View the full photo album from the gala here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3360966430838289&type=3

Meet Bobbie. Born in 1958 Robert Douglas Kovar (Bobbie) was what most of us would consider an average little boy. He grew up in a middle-class household in Calgary, Alberta, with two loving parents and his siblings. Life for Bobbie was GOOD. It was “normal”.

Then one morning six-year-old Bobbie went into his baby sister Susan’s room to wake her up. But Susan would not wake up, sadly she had passed away in the night from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). 

Not wanting to cause their son further trauma, Bobbie’s parents decided that it was best he not attend Susan’s funeral and so they left him in the care of a trusted friend and neighbor.

The afternoon of the funeral, that neighbor sexually assaulted Bobbie. The neighbor then went on to sexually assault Bobbie and his 3yr old little brother for years to come.

Two major traumatic events in the life of a six-year-old child were devastating, and though everyone tried to carry on with life, the impacts from this time would impact Bobbie forever. Although there were moments of normalcy and glimmers of a happy little boy, the day-to-day struggle for Bobbie became harder and harder.

He didn’t “fit” in the world. And no words of love or compassion were enough to give him reassurance otherwise. He was different. He FELT different, and he did not feel like a “he”.

At the age of fifteen Bobbie was arrested for the first time and charged with solicitation, a term that his mother (during the 1960’s) could hardly comprehend. 

With today’s education we would refer to Bobbie as transgender, but in the 60’s and 70’s there were other cruel names he was commonly referred to as. Unfortunately, even today when we hear those words they cut people to the quick. 

And so it began … running away turned into couch surfing, which turned into sleeping in the streets. Not being able to sleep turned into addictions, too many to count and too few to ease his pain. This turned into arrests, eventually creating an endless and vicious cycle, riddled with mental illness that was un-diagnosable in the 60's and 70's eras.

Calls home were infrequent, and months would go by with his parents worrying and worrying. And then one ordinary day, the call came. It wasn’t Bobbie on the other end of the phone.  It was a Montreal police officer asking, “Do you have a son by the name of Robert Kovar?”. “Yes” his mother replied, thinking he was in jail again. He wasn’t.

​Bobbie had been murdered at the age of 29, in his Montreal apartment for being transgender.


The officer apologized that it had taken over 2 MONTHS to find Bobbie’s next of kin. He had no identification due to his transient lifestyle, and so he had been laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Montreal, Canada. Buried hundreds of miles away from those who love him. Those who couldn’t save him – who couldn’t save him from himself in many cases.

It was Bobbie who inspired Baby it’s Cold Outside’s (BCO’s) founder Pamela Morgan to start the charity in 2004. You see, Bobbie wasn’t just someone she read about in the news, he was her big brother. 

Outside of his struggles in life, Bobbie was still an amazing person who Pamela remembers fondly for his love of cooking and his great sense of humor.  His clam chowder was one of the all-time favorites of his family, and his little sister would beg and plead for him to make it when he found himself back home for a spell.

Pamela remembers, “Bobbie was funny – I mean really, REALLY funny, and he could tell a great tall tale. He looked very similar to David Bowie, and it was common for others to remark on the resemblance. Which is to say that Bobbie was STRIKINGLY attractive.” 

While you may not have someone with a story exactly like Bobbie’s in your own family, odds are that you, someone in your family, or one of your close friends will be touched by sexual abuse, discrimination, addiction, homelessness, or mental health issues at some point in their lives.

Around the world June is know as PRIDE month, a time to celebrate the LBGTQ2S community, how far we have come over the years regarding acceptance and inclusion, and to acknowledge the work that is yet to be done.

• 35 years ago, this October (2022) Bobbie Kovar was murdered because of his sexual orientation.
• Until May 14, 1969 homosexual acts between consenting adults were illegal in Canada.
• When Bobbie was 15 years old in the 1960’s transgender was not even a common word. 
• Today, in 2022, at PRIDE events around the world, people of all ages are publicly celebrating without fear and shame.

We have come so far since Bobbie’s death in 1987. While at times progress may seem slow, especially for those living in the eye of chaos, times are changing and each one of us has an opportunity, every single day to create a world that is not just tolerant of our differences but encouraging of them.​

It’s Time to Spring Clean Your Closets 
Spring is in the air, and what a great time to go through your closets, get rid of what you don’t need and help people in the local community who would REALLY appreciate your gently used clothing!

Baby it’s Cold Outside (BCO) is running it’s Lethbridge Annual Spring Clothing Drive from April 1st -30th, 2022 and we are asking for your help supporting people in Lethbridge and surrounding area who need assistance with clothing and essential living supplies.

Spring cleaning not only makes you feel good, but those clothes you never wear or don’t need anymore can really make a difference in someone’s life.

For example, your clothing donations can:

• Help someone get a job they desperately need
• Send a child to school with “new” clothes
• Keep someone warm at night
• Provide a sense of confidence and hope
• Support new mothers and help give infants a good start in life  

All donations STAY local and go to two locations in Lethbridge to assist those in need at little or no cost.

What to Donate:
Gently used (laundered) clothing is appreciated, but don’t forget that new clothes offer another option for supporting the clothing drive. 
Other items that are appreciated include:

• Runners, work shoes or boots
• Socks & undergarments
• Living essentials (deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo etc.)

Items that must be bagged separately and labelled:

• Maternity or baby items (newborn to 3T)
• New baby bottles, diapers, soothers, shampoos, formula, quilts, or blankets

​Community Partners:
BCO is grateful to Ashcroft Master Builder, Stranville Living Master Builder, Avonlea Homes, and The Collective for providing convenient drop off locations for our Annual Spring Clothing Drive.

And we can’t forget to thank YOU, the people of Lethbridge and area who have supported our clothing drive in the past.   Your generous contributions are always appreciated by BCO, but more so by the people in your local community who need them. 

Drop Off Locations & Hours:

The Collective
1315 3rd Ave S
Drop off hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Ashcroft Master Builder office (upstairs)
102 12th Street South
Weekdays excluding holidays 8:00-5:00 PM
Showhomes in Lethbridge
Drop off hours:
Monday through Thursday 2:00 PM-8:00 PM
Weekends and holidays 12:00 PM-5:00 PM

Ashcroft Master Builder

• Copperwood- 1477 Coalbanks Blvd West
• Country Meadows- 106 Goldenrod Way West
• Southbrook- 4381 Fairmont Gate South
  
  

Stranville Living Master Builder

• BlackWolf- 269 Lynx Road North
• Copperwood- 1473 Coalbanks Blvd West
• Country Meadows- 114 Goldenrod Way West
• Southbrook- 4368 Fairmont Gate South

 
Avonlea Homes

• BlackWolf- 265 Lynx Road North

• Copperwood- 1481 Coalbanks Blvd West
• Country Meadows- 110 Goldenrod Way West
• Southbrook- 4372 Fairmont Gate South

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date with the BCO Annual Lethbridge Spring Clothing Drive and other opportunities to support our organization.