The 29^th Annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake held this April was a winning event for the children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, with the fundraiser bringing in $175,000.

Bowl For Kids’ Sake presented by Edfinancial Services is Big Brothers Big Sisters’ signature fundraising and awareness event. Participants from Knoxville, Maryville and Tri-Cities hit the lanes, had fun and raised money, with a total of more than 1,000 bowlers contributing to this year’s success. All funds raised by bowlers directly benefit the programs of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee.

“We are thrilled and grateful for the continued support from this community for Bowl For Kids’ Sake, which raised $175,000 this year,” said Myra Yeatman, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee. “Bowl for Kids’ Sake helps us continue to put the guidance, friendship and fun of mentors in the lives of children, and through the support of East Tennesseans we will be able to match an additional 175 area children with mentors.”

Thanks to all of you who participated in the 2010 Bowl for Kids’ Sake!  Did we have fun, or what?  Our staff is processing the numbers as this is being written and we can’t wait to tell you the final results!  What we can tell you is that we’ve already hit record-breaking results and donations are still coming in!

We are thrilled to tell you about this next little story.  In March, we spotlighted 13-year-old, Kalyn, who had been waiting for a Big Sister since December.  Kalyn said she wanted a mentor she could confide in and share meaningful experiences with.  Over the next four months, our staff worked to find the perfect Big Sister for Kalyn.

During Bowl for Kids’ Sake, Kalyn got the news she had been longing for – she was matched with her Big Sister, Jennie, and now they are one happy duo!  Kalyn says our staff was right on when they matched her with Jennie.  And Jennie is equally as excited to find a Little as great as Kalyn.

Without the community’s support of Bowl for Kids’ Sake, this friendship would not have been possible.  Your fundraising goes directly to finding caring adult mentors for the hundreds of children like Kalyn who are waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister.

If you’re interested in donating to Big Brothers Big Sisters or becoming a Big to someone like Kalyn, let us know!

Already working on perfecting our bowling skills for next year,

BBBS