Brock Bowls for Kids

BBBS of St. Catharines-Thorold & District have organized Brock Bowls for Kids. Brock Bowls for Kids is a two night celebrity themed charity bowling event held Feb. 1 and 2, taking place at Parkway Lanes Sports and Entertainment Centre in St. Catharines. The proceeds of the event will go towards supporting one of six programs run by BBBS in the local community. Participants will enjoy two hours of 10-pin bowling, from 9:30-11:30 p.m. with prizes being given out for team spirit, funds raised, best costume and more.

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is a charitable organization which connects youth with volunteer adult mentors. It began in New York City at the beginning of the 1900s and has grown to include 13 different countries. It was established in Canada in 1913, making it the second oldest BBBS organization in the World, and they will be celebrating their 100 year anniversary in 2013. BBBS helps over 26,000 children 6 to 15-years-old across Canada, yet there are still 10,000 "littles" on the waiting list for a mentor.

BBBS St. Catharines-Thorold & District is a member of the United Way, and they receive 20 per cent of their operating budget from them. However, the remaining 80 per cent of funds necessary to run their programs, which amounts to $300,000, comes from fundraising events and private donations as they receive no government funding. Their goal for this event is to raise $15,000 which will be used to find matches for the over 250 children on the waiting list. These children will hopefully join the over 1,300 children who benefit from BBBS in St. Catharines and the surrounding area.

Participants of Brock Bowls have to raise a minimum of $35 to play, and there are prize incentives to encourage raising even more. A number of local businesses including Booster Juice, Niagara Ice Dogs, Brock Bookstore, Arizona Tanning and the Brock University Students' Union (BUSU) have donated prizes. There will also be transportation provided from Brock which students can sign-up for online, although space is limited. The event will feature MC Liam Myers from 105.1 Edfm. As well, there will be a photographer present and BrockTV has allowed use of their backdrops for the event. Registration can be done individually or with a team. As well, you can create an online page and collect pledges from family and friends at brockbowls.ca. Although this is a Brock event, not all members of a team need to be Brock students. However, everyone will require a piece of identification to trade in for bowling shoes.

BBBS offer six programs within our community. In-school mentors, whose volunteers consist of 80-85 per cent Brock students, a homework club, and the standard big brother or sister mentoring. They also have a young girls program, Go Girls, and a young boys program Game On, which focus on promoting healthy life styles for adolescents. Finally, they have a Big Bunch program, where they take everyone who is on the waiting list on an outing; events in the past have included public skating and swimming.

Unfortunately due to weather conditions in past years some fundraising nights were cancelled causing them to fall short of their goals, making this year's fundraising crucial. There will be more fundraising events later in the year including another bowling night, a fashion show, a golf tournament and a beach volleyball tournament.

For more information visit brockbowls.ca or bbbsmentors.ca