'Bigs' bowling will benefit the 'littles'

Helping give kids a brighter future is as simple as spending a night out bowling with friends. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas is preparing for its Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser. Volunteer Pamela Bowie says, “It’s just fun.”
Helping give kids a brighter future is as simple as spending a night out bowling with friends. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas is preparing for its Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser. Volunteer Pamela Bowie says, “It’s just fun.”

Making a positive impact on young people can be as simple as knocking a few pins down with a ball. Or picking up the phone and dialing.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Professor Bowl will buzz with Bigs, Littles and dozens of money-raising volunteers when it plays host to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas’ Bowl for Kids’ Sake. Pamela Bowie, president of the agency’s Big League auxiliary, is excited to head up a team of bowlers this year.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas is primarily known for its "matches": pairs of adult volunteers, or "Bigs," with "Littles," children from 6-18 who are from single-parent homes or otherwise face adversity. The goal is to match these children with responsible, positive adult role models to mentor them.

The positive results of those relationships are on full display at the organization's annual Bowl for Kids' Sake celebration, April 2-3.

But mentoring is a big responsibility and it isn't for everyone.

Volunteer Pamela Bowie explains, "I think a lot of people think it's just the match, and that is a big part of it, being available to be matched with a young person that you can impart some of your wisdom and experiences. Some people can get a little intimidated by that."

Also, mentoring a young person takes a major commitment in terms of time that some people just aren't able to make.

That was the case with Bowie. As a young professional in Little Rock, she was looking for a way to volunteer in the community and felt drawn to Big Brothers, but "I didn't think I had the time to commit to being a Big Sister, but I still wanted to get involved."

So, Bowie called the agency and discovered that there are other ways to help Big Brothers. They told her about Big League, the Big Brothers auxiliary group that plans and hosts regular free events for the matches. Bowie called the president, went to a meeting and has been involved ever since.

Now she's the president herself. It's less time-consuming (a couple of hours one Saturday a month) and less intimidating than being a Big, but it's also an opportunity to get involved and come to know the kids and adults.

"Even though I'm not a Big Sister, I get to meet all these matches," she says. "I can see how they've grown as a match and just gotten closer and that relationship has gotten stronger, so that's definitely rewarding."

The monthly gatherings further the Big Brothers mission by giving matches somewhere to go together, where they can interact with other kids who are like them and see how other matches relate to each other.

The volunteer opportunities continue with helping out at fundraisers or joining the school-based program, where volunteers visit kids during lunchtime at school.

But one of the simplest ways for people to get involved and help Big Brothers is to participate in Bowl for Kids' Sake.

Every participant signs up either as an individual or as part of a team and raises at least $100 in donations from family, friends and coworkers. Then participants choose a time on April 3 and go to Professor Bowl for one big bowling party.

Bowie says, "You just get to come and have fun, meet people from the agency, meet Bigs and Littles in the program and celebrate this fundraising goal that you've reached. And you see where your money's going when you meet those matches and you meet the staff."

It's not a tournament. There's no competition beyond the friendly, informal kind.

"It really is a lot of fun. It's just coming out and having fun and celebrating [Big Brothers Big Sisters] and what they do."

In the past, Bowie has participated in Bowl through Big League, which sponsors the matches' bowling and provides pizza and drinks for the pairs. This is her first time to get in on the action, as leader of "Pamela's Recruits," a team made up of her co-workers in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's office of admissions.

"I have a team of recruiters who work for me," she explains. "Kind of simple, but I thought it was appropriate."

As far as fundraisers go, it's simple and painless. Neither tuxedos nor formal gowns. No auctions, pleas for more money or high-dollar tickets. By the time of the party, the money has already been raised, so it's time to kick back.

As Bowie says, "I told my team, 'All I'm asking you to do is ask 10 people for 10 bucks apiece and then I want you to come on a Friday after work and bowl with me. It'll be great and we'll get to see where our money's going and we'll get to meet these great people.'"

Meeting the Bigs, Littles and other people involved can be an eye-opening experience. Bowie encourages potential volunteers to do what she did: Reach out to the Big Brothers (and Big Sisters) just to see what possibilities there are and how their skills and time might be put to best use.

"After talking with them, you may feel totally comfortable with being matched with a young person. That may be something that sounds really awesome to you. Reaching out, just finding out how you can help and not just thinking, 'This is the only way and that's not me.'"

Regardless, helping Big Brothers is as simple as lacing up a pair of bowling shoes.

"It's fun and they make it easy for you to do, so why not do it?"

Bowl for Kids' Sake is 10 a.m.-9 p.m. April 3 with a kickoff party April 2, Professor Bowl, 901 Towne Oaks Drive. Call (501) 374-6661 or visit bbbsca.org.

High Profile on 03/15/2015

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