Lace up in support of BBBS at Bowl For Kids' Sake
Posted Feb 11, 2010 By Roy Lewis
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EMC Events - A pilot program to help young girls deal with issues of healthy eating, a balanced lifestyle and self-esteem has met with success.
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Megan Radley, sporting ears and a tail and representing the Alley Cats team from Invista Canada, prepares to bowl at a previous Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids' Sake event, which this year will be held on the Feb. 20-21 weekend.
The Go Girls! Program, organized by Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Leeds and Grenville, is aimed at young women in Grades 7 and 8 where mentors meet with the girls at their school for 90 minutes a week from seven to 10 weeks to discuss issues of interest to them. For girls too embarrassed to ask a personal question in the group, they can write an anonymous note to the mentor seeking guidance.
But to keep the program running, BBBS will need to hire another caseworker and that will take additional funding. Since it receives no government funding, the agency must engage in fundraising activities, including its increasingly popular Bowl For Kids' Sake to be held in Brockville, Elgin, Kemptville and Gananoque at various times and places over the Feb. 20-21 weekend.
"We are asking participants to change their street shoes to bowling shoes and change a kid's life," said Krista Gill, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
"A handful of friends, family members or co-workers can bowl for an hour and make a big difference in a child's life," she said.
There is also a chance for participants to win two seats to an Ottawa Senators hockey game provided by Strategic Legacies Inc. or a Wii computer gaming bundle provided by Howard Travel. Every $50 raised will earn a ballot for the draw. The format for this year's Bowl For Kids' Sake remains the same. Teams composed of family members, friends, relatives or co-workers register to bowl in the event. Each team must raise a minimum of $150. Individuals can also bowl.
Teams can participate in five-pin bowling at the Elgin Bowling Lanes from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20 or at Kemptville Bowling from 4 to 6 p.m. on the same day. Participants also have the option of bowling five-pins at the Delaney Bowling Centre in Gananoque from 12 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 or 10-pin bowling at The Bowling Centre in Brockville from 12 to 6 p.m. on the same day.
A new feature at this year's Bowl For Kids' Sake event is a registration online pledge site. Online pledging provides bowlers with added flexibility and convenience by offering easy, secure, fast and convenient donation options explained Gill.
"Traditional person to person fundraising can be challenging due to time constraints and geographical barriers," she said.
"Those making an online donation will benefit from the added value of receiving their tax receipt immediately via e-mail and have agency information at their finger tips," added Gill.
To use the online pledge site, team captains and bowlers create an account through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville website at leedsgrenville.kintera.org/bfks. By following the step-by-step directions, they can launch their personal account and using the e-mail function, send secure messages to friends, family and associates requesting pledges.
"All personal information remains completely confidential and participants can rest at ease that names and addresses will not be solicited by the agency," said Gill.
Three easy steps to "get the ball rolling" for participants in the Bowl For Kids' Sake is to start a team, join a team or bowl as an individual, create a personalized Internet page where friends and family can make a donation and begin fundraising by e-mailing friends and family asking them to visit the bowler's personalized page.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville is currently providing services to 140 children in the six to 16-year age group. They still have 40 children waiting to be matched to a big brother or big sister. The agency provides programs for those children who have not been matched to an adult.
"Our number of matches between a child and a mentor is growing but so is our caseload," said Gill.
The agency, which receives 10 per cent of its $300,000 annual budget from the United Way, must still carry out extensive fundraising activities including the organization's annual Ribfest and the Bowl For Kids' Sake. Gill hopes to equal or even exceed the record 79 teams and almost 400 bowlers participating in last year's event.
Gill also expressed appreciation to the financial assistance the event has received from corporate sponsors Zigman Metals and Brockville Auto Centre.
Further information is also available by contacting the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville office at 613-345-0281. Gill said they will mail out bowling registration packages or fax it or send it by e-mail, as well as deliver packages to a participant's home or business.
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