Bowling Pins Launch Social Media Tour to Help Raise More Than $21 Million for Big Brothers Big Sisters

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Jan. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Brothers Big Sisters' national Bowl For Kids' Sake campaign kicked off at the Cedar Rapids Bowling Center located at 265 Blairs Ferry Road NE on January 8, 2014. Taking place at 11 a.m. CST, the event hopes to raise awareness and money needed to pair volunteer mentors with children who face adversity in staff-supported, long-term mentoring friendships, but also recognize Bigs as the celebrities they are in their Littles eyes during January, which is National Mentoring Month. The 2014 Bowl For Kids' Sake season will be highlighted by the "10 PINS" – bowling pins that were dressed up, decorated and named as the ambassadors for Big Brothers Big Sisters' largest national fundraiser.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140110/PH44455)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140102/PH39681LOGO)

Nine agencies and the Big Brothers Big Sisters National Office introduced the 10 PINS to the media on the Purple Carpet as they take off on a worldwide social media tour on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Along with National Bowl For Kids' Sake mentors and mentees, the 10 PINS joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of America CEO and President Charles Pierson, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids CEO and President Linda Henecke, Jeanine Penticoff-Board President and Director with Alliant Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewables and Platinum Sponsors: The Intermec Foundation and RuffaloCODY. Bowl For Kids' Sake was named one of the Top 20 Athletic Fundraising events by the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council after more than 40 years in existence and engages more than half a million people across the country to raise more than $21 million.

"We are honored and excited to host the nationwide kickoff of Bowl For Kids' Sake in Cedar Rapids," Henecke said. "These resources are vital to helping children across the country.  The events raise significant dollars and we were proud to generate $379,000 locally last year, placing us 6th in the nation for bowling results." 

National Office President and CEO Charles Pierson said Bowl For Kids' Sake serves as the fundraising foundation for Big Brothers Big Sisters, "Our agency in Cedar Rapids and the community here has developed an outstanding event with incredible support," he said. "No matter how someone chooses to be involved—bowler, team captain, sponsor, or as 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 mentoring programs in the communities where events are held."

"Being a Big Brother has been life changing for me," said Big Brother Craig Byers. Big Brothers Big Sisters is celebrating Craig and the 200,000 Bigs during National Mentoring Month. Byers has mentored his Little Brother, Jeffery, for 5 years. His Little Brother Jeffery says he waited a year and a half for a Big Brother and he was incredibly excited when he finally met Craig.

Donor funds, such as those raised through Bowl For Kids' Sake, enable Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide careful mentor matching and ongoing staff support that keeps one-to-one relationships going strong, while helping youth to overcome adversity and achieve lifelong success. As the nation's largest mentoring network, the organization holds itself accountable for helping children achieve positive, measurable outcomes including educational success, avoidance of risky and delinquent behaviors, improved relationships, higher aspirations and greater confidence.

Bowlers can sign up for local bowling events at www.BFKS.org and people across the country can support the effort by going to www.BigBrothersBigSisters.org/BowlForKidsSake

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids
BeABigCR.org provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. 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 seeks to facilitate the success of children living in our community by encouraging education and school attendance through providing focus in three competency areas:  Connectedness, Attendance, Resources, Extra Curricular (C.A.R.E). Big Brothers Big Sisters has already seen that the Character Building Project is a springboard for greater success for the children served. The Character Building Project is an initiative of Big Brothers Big Sisters to help children grow as individuals through education and exposure to a variety of competency areas.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation's largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes such as educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, and higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The first Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Outcomes Summary, released in 2012, substantiates that its mentoring programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth in areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity, often those of single or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally-supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization's 110-year history. With nearly 340 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 630,000 children, volunteers and families. The organization is engaged in a nationwide search to reunite with alumni mentors, mentees, donors, and family, staff and board members.  Learn how you can positively impact a child's life forever, donate or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters