Big brothers bowl for bucks

Bowl for Kids’ sake fundraiser raises almost $100,000

By Tyler Harbert

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Both big and little volunteers helped Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Douglas County score a strike during this year’s annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake fundraiser, which ended Saturday.

The event, held during six different sessions throughout February at Royal Crest Lanes, 933 Iowa St., brought in a record high of more than $94,000 for the local non-profit organization.

Becky Price, northeast regional director for Kansas Big Brothers and Big Sisters, said the final amount of money raised would probably exceed $100,000 after the online pledges are tallied.

“The event is just a thank you to the bowlers for helping us get pledges,” she said. “It’s important to have the event be fun so people feel thanked and appreciated and do it again next year.”

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Price said the organization was always in need of volunteers, especially males, who are at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license.

Price said fundraising wasn’t the only motive behind Bowl For Kids’ Sake.

“Money is important, but volunteers are gold,” she said.

Price said the organization was always in need of volunteers, especially males, who are at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. After a series of background checks, volunteers are paired with children who have similar interests.

One volunteer, Nate Bolinger, Pittsburgh senior, was excited to take part in his first Bowl For Kids’ Sake, even though his little brother Jacob couldn’t make it.

“He’d been sick all that week and weekend but we already go to the bowling alley together every now and then,” he said.

Bolinger said he’s never had a problem finding time to spend with his little brother and finding time to concentrate on his own school work.

“As a college student, you have more free time than you are willing to admit,” he said.

He said he helped the fifth-grader with his school work too.

Bowling For Kids’ Sake, now in its 15th year, is a benefit for some of those volunteers who form five-member bowling teams and then solicit pledges of $125 per participant. Price said teams often raise more than that amount. All of the pledge money stays in the Douglas County organization and is used to maintain matches between adult volunteers and the children they assist who need positive mentors in their lives.

Price said it takes about $1,000 a year to maintain the matches between each volunteer and child. This year’s fundraiser should help match about 100 children and volunteers, Price said.

She said accommodating all of the 203 children who were waiting to be brought into the Douglas County program would cost about $203,000.

“People always want to fund new programs and new agencies,” Price said. “We have to do events like this.”

She said some of the 630 participants in this year’s fundraiser were already Big Brothers and Big Sisters volunteers.

Price said volunteers could be paired with a child either one-on-one, as a family or they could also volunteer 30 minutes a week to spend at a child’s school with him or her.

One other way to volunteer was to become an advocate, said Meg Hooper, public relations specialist for Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

She said advocates helped the organization in its office, with its publications and by assisting with its activities.

Kansan staff writer Tyler Harbert can be contacted at tharbert@kansan.com.

— Edited by Katie Sullivan

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