Big Brothers Big Sisters’ “Bowl for Kids’ Sake” fundraiser is back and ready to roll this year.
The fundraiser is an annual national initiative meant to help raise money for the individual branches of BBBS.
“We have chosen to participate and collaborate regionally and we do serve 18 counties, but each branch does their own fundraiser,” program coordinator Danielle Hernandez said. “So, any monies that is raised for a specific county, such as Jackson County/Cashiers-Highlands, that money stays in those specific communities, it doesn’t go into a regional fund.”
Any donors who wish to attend or participate in the fundraiser can ensure that their contributions will stay within their area in order to assist in the continued development of their local BBBS branch and the children who they serve.
“If we have any donors that want to participate, if they’re from the Cashiers-Highlands area they can say ‘I want my money to stay here,’” Hernandez said. “Likewise, if we have people who want to participate that are from Sylva, they can say ‘I want this to stay in Sylva.’ So, it might be a national endeavor, but it’s definitely one of those local fundraisers. The money stays to support the community you’re in.”
The fundraiser will take place from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at Galaxy Lanes and Games located at 347 Jackson Plaza. There are multiple ways for community members to get involved with the event.
“Ideally, we have people who sign up as teams,” Hernandez said. “Or, they can sign up as sponsors and have teams, they can sponsor teams or they can sign up as individual teams to come in and just play and have a good time.”
Individuals can also donate directly to their local branches fundraiser by visiting BBBS of WNC’s main website.
“They can go to our main website and there are several spots on the website that will take them to “Bowl for Kids’ Sake” and they can go down and choose the area that they specifically want to donate to,” Hernandez said.
The fundraiser also has a different theme every year that is meant to inspire participants to dress up in costumes and create their teams around. This year’s theme will be “Bowl for the Future.”
According to Hernandez, most of the children served by BBBS are facing adversity in some way, shape or form.
“Whether they’re coming from a single parent home, they have a background of a low socioeconomic status or it could just be a situation where they’re in such a large family, they need that additional person just to have an ear or a shoulder to lean on and things like that. It’s bringing them out of their shell, it’s giving them new experiences and it’s being that supportive role model and mentor that the child needs.”
While the organization’s focus is on upholding the children and helping them to reach their potential through exploring life and making resources available to them, Hernandez also points out the benefits to be had from being a mentor for the children.
“I think it’s important for the kids to have us as a resource, but the benefit that our mentors get from being that person for a child is amazing,” she said. “I say that because I am also a mentor within our organization and it is one of the most rewarding experiences, it really truly is. I learn just as much from my little as what I hope she gains from me.”
For more information on the Highlands-Cashiers branch of Big Brother Big Sister or to become a mentor, or register a child please visit www.bbbswnc.org or contact Danielle Hernandez at cashiers@bbbswnc.com or by phone at 399-9133. Parents can also reach out to their social worker or school guidance counselors at their children’s schools for more information on registering their child.
- By Kaylee Cook