Residents gather for 'Bowl For Kid's Sake'

Residents of Bloomington, students and citizens alike, filled Suburban Lanes bowling alley this weekend to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana's largest fundraising campaign, "Bowl For Kids' Sake."\nThe bowling only goes on for a short time in February and March, but the event begins in November with a call-out luncheon for teams and donations to be pulled together.\nEach team consists of five or six people, with each member raising at least $100, or $70 for IU students, totaling $520. \nMany groups create teams, such as insurance companies, local businesses and even the IU Student Association.\n"As to why they do it, we have a 1,001 door prizes, limbo contests, team pictures and even different themes," said graduate student and event coordinator Erica Albert. "The mayor even got involved and challenged his councilmen this year." \nA team gathers at its selected time, hands in its donations and then bowls, but the event isn't entirely about bowling -- it's about helping local children who are in need. The funds the event raises support over 1,000 Big Brother Big Sister matches each year, according to the group's web site.\nA match consists of what group members call a "big" and a "little." A little is a youth between the ages of six and 17 and plays the role of the younger sibling. A big is an adult who plays the role of a role model or older sibling and is above the age of 17. Over 50 percent of "bigs" in Bloomington are IU students, Albert said.\nResearch shows relationships like the "big and little" matches that the event supports have a direct, measurable and lasting impact on a child's life, according to the Big Brothers Big Sisters' Web site.\nThe campaign raised about $150,000 last year, $28,000 from IU Bowl and $125,000 from community bowl. The campaign has already raised $20,000 this year from IU Bowl activities that went on earlier in the week.\nThe event came to a close Sunday evening as "Big and Little" matches, some dressed as cowboys to cater to the theme, gathered to bowl together.\n"It's just amazing," said Andrea Smith, graduate student and longtime big sister. "Being a graduate student and having two jobs, it's just great to know that I can come out here and spend some time with my little 'sis.'"\nSmith has been a "big" in the program for three years, with one and a half years at Ball State and one and a half years as a graduate student at IU. Like many of her counterparts, she said she just enjoys the experience and that having a mentor is a great thing for a younger child.\n"She's an adult, but she's a kid," said Kindra Thomas, Smith's "little sister" and a Broadview Elementary School student. "Andrea's my big sister -- that's the best part."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Andy Romey at aromey@indiana.edu.