By Jacqueline Brendel
Big Brothers Big Sistersof Mercer County is appealing to the community to support Bowl for Kids’ Sake, the mentoring organization’s biggest annual fundraiser.
The donor-funded organization challenges everyone—mentors and mentees, their friends and families, partners, community leaders, as well as others who may not have time to mentor but support Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission—to join Bowl for Kids’ Sake and start something to change the life of a child forever.
The nation’s leader in quality one-to-one youth mentoring services, Big Brothers Big Sisters holds itself accountable for and is able to measure specific youth outcomes. Its programs focus on educational achievement, avoidance of risky behaviors such as juvenile delinquency, higher self-esteem, confidence and the ability to relate to others. For more than 40 years, Bowl for Kids’ Sake has supported Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country, becoming its premiere fundraising event and raising $20 million nationwide each year.
“Bowl for Kids’ Sake brings the whole community together in support of a positive future for our kids,” said Susan Dunning, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County. “No matter how someone chooses to be involved—bowler, team captain, sponsor, or even a virtual bowler—each person has a hand in helping to start a child on the right path. Every dollar raised through Bowl for Kids’ Sake directly funds our mentoring programs in Mercer
County and helps to maintain and sustain our mentoring relationships, increasing kids’ chances for success.”
On April 9th, Bowl for Kids’ Sake participants will gather at Colonial Lanes for the bowling party which will include free lunch, t-shirts, entertainment, surprises, and an opportunity to win prizes for all bowlers.
Bowl for Kids’ Sake 2011 comes as Big Brothers Big Sisters launches Start Something™, a national campaign that invites all people, not just volunteers, to get involved with the organization by donating, sharing stories of mentoring successes or volunteering. Funds raised allow Big Brothers Big Sisters to carefully make more mentoring matches and provide ongoing assistance for mentors, mentees and families to help sustain long successful relationships unique to its programs.
To join Bowl for Kids’ Sake 2011, take the first step and get started making an impact in your community visiting our event website at www.mercer.kintera.org/BFKS2011 where you can sign up to participate or make a donation. By pledging to raise funds, you can help provide a new mentoring opportunity for children in Mercer County, starting them on a path to a brighter future.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”).
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County provides a system of ongoing evaluation and support that is proven by independent studies to help families by improving the odds that “Littles” will perform better in school and avoid violence and illegal activities, and have stronger relationships with their parents and others. The agency has served children and their families in the greater Trenton area for 38 years. Learn how you can positively impact a child’s life when you donate or volunteer at www.bbbsmercer.org.

