Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia Takes a New Spin on Bowl For Kids’ Sake 2015
April 13, 2015
A “Big” Focus on Bigs and Littles
COLUMBIA, SC – Spring is here, and it’s almost time for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia’s signature fundraiser, Bowl For Kids’ Sake. Under the new leadership of President and CEO, Cristy Marshall, this year’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake is focusing heavily on Big and Little involvement.
This Saturday, April 11, more than 15 Bigs and Littles will come to AMF Columbia Lanes to show off their bowling skills at BFKS 2015- a huge increase in Big-Little BFKS participation from previous years.
“This year, a key focus that we have had is to make our Bigs and Littles an integral part of Bowl for Kids’ Sake. Our volunteers and the children that we serve are the reason we are put together this event, and any chance that we get to honor those successes and to create an opportunity for them to interact with each other and our community is a reason to celebrate,” Marshall said.
Every spring, BFKS is an opportunity for organization partners, donors and community members to help raise the critical funds that facilitate the one-on-one mentoring relationships unique to BBBS.
This year Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia has showcased BFKS as an opportunity for Bigs to spend time with their Littles, interact with other matches and meet the community members that support their matches, in addition to the event’s traditional purpose of critical fundraising.
Participating Bigs and Littles are not asked to raise money, unlike other bowlers. Instead, to encourage volunteer BFKS involvement, the BBBSGC staff has created a Bigs and Littles virtual bowling team to raise the funds for them.
Gill Weathers, BBBSGC Board President and current Big, will be bowling with his matches this year. “I bring my Littles, I always have. Just because I want them to see the organization and meet the people that are supporting our matches. It’s just a fun event… and potential donors feel like they’re helping matches directly by letting them go bowling,” Weathers said.
Greater Columbia’s Big-Little matches represent the organization success that all BFKS participants bowl for, and their presence at the event reminds other bowlers how influential their support can be. Witnessing all of the Big-Little happiness may even inspire other bowlers to become volunteers. Now that’s a strike!
Bigs-Littles virtual bowling team:
BBBSGC BFKS 2015:
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia
The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia is a proud affiliate member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network. In 2013, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia served 226 children in Richland and Lexington Counties.
Partnering with parents and guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children (“Littles”) with screened volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) and monitors and supports them in one-to-one mentoring relationships. The organization holds itself accountable for children in the program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as higher aspirations; greater confidence and better relationships; educational success; and avoidance of delinquency and other risky behaviors. For more information or to inquire about becoming a big, please visit www.bbbsgc.org.
