Bowl For Kids' Sake participant Norah Surcon's daughter and son ready to bowl on the beach (Image: submitted)
Money raised for this month’s Bowl For Kids’ Sake goes directly to help Big Brothers Big Sisters Saint John make matches for kids who need support, which is even more imperative during the pandemic according to its local Executive Director.
Normally the fundraiser raises around $140,000 each year, but due to the pandemic Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Saint John has shifted its goal to raising $50,000.
“With COVID we know it’s tougher for people to raise money and to do those things,” Executive Director Laurie Collins said. “So we’ve tried to try to be realistic with our goals, which we’ve set at $50,000 and would really help our budget this year.”
All of the money raised from Bowl For Kids’ Sake goes toward supporting mentoring programs, where BBBS recruit, screen and train volunteer mentors matching them with little brothers and sisters. “We are always looking for long term matches, not just short-term matches – long term is definitely more beneficial for everyone,” Collins said.
Matching mentors and kids is done by professional mentoring coordinators, who also monitor and coach the mentors to form the fullest relationships between mentor and youth.
BBBS Saint John volunteer and former Little Brother, Darien Edison says being matched with a big brother and being involved with the organization had a huge impact on his life and is an integral part of who he is today.
“I fully support the belief that every child deserves a chance to have a mentor in their life, to have the opportunity that I myself was fortunate to have to have that privilege, and I want nothing more than to be able to give someone that,” said Edison.
“Something I learned from being a Little Brother is that its little things, the little gestures, the little moments that you share together that can truly make a big impact on someone.”
Collins adds the organization adjusted in the face of the pandemic, transitioning programs online and thinking of new ways to do programs, and having matches meet on online platforms, like Zoom, to keep them connected.
“We’ve probably had more kids coming in looking for that additional support because as you know the pandemic has been very negatively impacting young people and their ability to connect and have a community,” she said.
BBBS Saint John currently supports 170 children matched across its various programs, including traditional matches, school mentoring matches and group programs – 87 of which were matched since the COVID-19 pandemic began. There are 135 active BBBS Saint John volunteers.
There are still 105 children are on the organization’s waitlist (not including in-school programs).
“There’s always a need for volunteers, but specifically at this time with a pandemic and kids with heightened stress levels, they definitely need the support, so we need more volunteers to make that happen,” said Collins. “We need help getting kids matched, and providing that support for the child and the families – it’s a heightened need right now for sure,” she said.
