The Flipside Youth Centre recently had a few very special guests to help them celebrate their third annual Big Brother Day at the Sylvan Lake Community Centre.
On February 10, Raul Manriquez and Kelsey Faith of Big Brother Canada 4 came down from their homes in Calgary to visit the contestants of Sylvan Lake’s very own Big Brother Day.
“We were invited to come down to hang out with the kids - it was a fun little road trip for Raul and I,” Faith said, adding that being able to give back after her time on Big Brother has been very rewarding.
“After you get off the show, you can do so much,” she said. “You have this little bit of fame you can use to get out there and give back to the community.”
Manriquez was also excited to help out the community of Sylvan Lake. He remembered fondly how well he was treated by Albertans after immigrating from Mexico.
“It means a lot,” he said. “I am an immigrant into Canada and the Province of Alberta has given me so much. This is something that even before I went onto Big Brother, I knew I wanted to do. With Big Brother, it has given me so much power to help others. I have been so lucky living in Canada and if i was a kid and a fan of the show I would love for something like this to happen.”
Manriquez and Faith were allies throughout nearly the entirety of season 4 and were able to come out of the game with life-long friendships, despite neither of them winning the game. Their advice to the kids playing Big Brother in Sylvan Lake echoed their experience.
“Be yourself,” Manriquez told them. “Some people act like a different person but you should always want to be yourself. You should always trust in your community. The more you can work together, the stronger you can be.”
“Friends are really important and the only way to maintain friendships is if you have trust,” Faith added. “You can always have each others back even if it might not be the best for you. It’s super important to be there for your friends and family.”
“I love Sylvan Lake, I had so much fun here. Thank you for having me,” Manriquez said.
“Thank you for having us. It was super fun,” Faith added.
todd.vaughan@sylvanlakenews.com