Have Balls, Will Bowl
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| Sarah Kline, program coordinator for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Berkshires group, showed off one of the cardboard cut-out bowling balls being sold to benefit the region's Big Brothers/Big Sister's mentoring program. |
On Fri., Feb. 16, at 4 p.m. at Friend's Grill, 117 Seymour St., Pittsfield, the entity's "Bowl For Kids Sake" yearly fundraiser will kick off, with "guest bartenders" that include former Pittsfield Mayor Gerry Doyle, agency Board of Directors members and Paul Clark and Janice Barry. Hors d'oeurves will be served from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m..
The kickoff is a prequel to a trio of bowling events designed to raise money to be used for Big Brother/Big Sister programs operating in the Northern, Central, and Southern Berkshires, said regional program Executive Director Kim Blair and part-time North County Coordinator
Sarah Kline.
"Bowl For Kids Sake" is a Big Brothers/Big Sisters national organization signature fundraising event.
Team Players Needed
This year, the county-wide goal is $25,000, with a hope that $12,000 can be raised in the Northern Berkshires, said Blair and Kline.
This year's first "Bowl For Kids Sake" is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sat. March 10 at the Mount Greylock Bowl in North Adams. The second event is scheduled to run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday March 17 at the Cove in Great Barrington and the final bowl-a-thon is set to occur from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 24 at Ken's Bowl in Pittsfield.
"The idea is to get your friends together and form a team," said Kline. "The team participants all get individual pledges from friends, family members, co-workers. These are flat pledges, not per game or per pin pledges. We're hoping that each participant can raise $100 but we know that's a lot of money."
Bowl-a-thon participants must turn in the pledge sheets on the day of the bowling event, Kline said.
Contributions to help the event are being made, for instance, the Mount Greylock Bowl is allowing a discounted use of the lanes and is donating the use of bowling shoes to the fundraiser participants, Kline said.
Golf, Anyone?
Those who deliver $30 in pledges to the Northern Berkshire bowl-a-thon will receive a t-shirt, those who deliver $60 in pledges will receive a t-shirt and earn eligibility to win raffle prizes such as Angelina's sandwich shop gift certificates, Pizza Jim's gift certificates, and Red Carpet restaurant gift certificates.
Local DJ Brian Flagg is scheduled to provide "music to bowl by" during the Mount Greylock Bowl event.
The person who generates the most pledge revenue during the Northern Berkshire event may choose from a selection of grand prizes, Kline said. To date, the grand prize selection includes a golf foursome at the Forest Park Country Club in Adams, and a full family membership to the YMCA.
Buy A Bowling Ball For $1
Cardboard cut-out bowling balls are being sold for $1 at various Berkshire venues, including Friends Grill, the Mount Williams Greenhouse, Mount Greylock Bowl, and the PNA to benefit the Berkshire program. Kline and Blair said they are interested in adding more cardboard bowling ball sales sites.
Local supermarkets, including Price Chopper, Big Y, Stop and Shop and Price-Rite, declined to sell the cardboard cut-outs, Blair said.
"We were a little disappointed that none of the markets would agree to sell these because of course this provides a local benefit," she said. "We'll try them again next year and see if they change their philosophy."
"Bigs" And "Littles": Making The Match
Big Brothers/Big Sisters receives no state or federal budget line item funding, said Kline. The local entity does receive considerable support from the United Way. Additional support comes from the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, and certain grants. The group relies heavily on its' own fundraisers to cover its' expenses.
The Central and South Berkshires host 31 total matches, said Blair.
The Northern Berkshire group currently hosts 25 "bigs-and-littles" matches, said Kline. There are 19 big/little sister and six big/little brother pairs, and a waiting list of "littles," she said.
Making the matches requires more than simply putting an adult with a child, Kline said.
"There's a lot to making a match," Kline said. "Matches are made based on personalities, locations, interests, and other factors. I don't want to put a child with a big brother or big sister just for the sake of making the match."
Volunteerism is on the decline in general and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters application process may seem cumbersome to people.
"There is an application process that requires four references and a Criminal Offender Registry Inquiry [CORI] and a Sexual Offender Registry Inquiry [SORI]," Kline noted. "It is an intense interview that includes a meeting to do a psychological self-assessment. There is an applicant home visit."
Those who are seeking a "big" also follow an application and interview process as well.
"Off And Running"
"Everybody has ground rules," said Kline. "Once a match is made, the parents, or grandparents, the child, the volunteer, and myself all get together. After we meet, the "big" and the "little" are usually off and running."
For the first month of the relationship, the child's family and the "big" are required to check in with Kline weekly, she said.
The "check-ins" consist of reviewing the big/little agendas: where the pairs went, what activities were involved, what was liked and disliked about a specific excursion, and what plans are upcoming.
"Our expectation is for a big and a little to spend a couple of hours together a week for a year," Kline said. "Here, many of our matches are together after five years. My first match is still together after seven years."
Children between age six and 18 are able to participate with the program. For a number of years, the regional program operated as a Big Brothers group from the Boys Club in Pittsfield. The group eventually evolved into a Big Brothers/Big Sisters group and operated solely from Pittsfield.
"We're Still Here"
During 1999, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition wrote a Massachusetts Collaborative three-year non-renewable grant meant to reduce Northern Berkshire youth alcohol and drug use. Mentoring was a designated component of the initiative and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization was chosen to fulfill the purpose. Kline was hired to operate a Northern Berkshire office and has been at the job for seven years, she said.
"That grant has long gone away, but over 100 matches later, we're still here," she said of the Northern Berkshire office, which is space shared with the NBCC at 85 Main St..
There are group events and activities that bring the "bigs" and the "littles" together as a group. A spa day for "big and little sisters" and a holiday gathering were recently held and a group ice skating event is planned for later this month at the Boys and Girls Club in Pittsfield. There will be no admission cost or skate rental costs for participating "bigs" and "littles," Kline said.
Student Mentoring
Two Big Brother/Big Sister school programs are underway. Several Monument Mountain High School students meet with specific Muddy Brook Elementary School students on a regular basis at the Southern Berkshire Community Center, Blair said, and Kline noted that a group of Hoosac Valley High School students meet with C.T. Plunkett elementary school students at the Plunkett school.
The Adams Youth Center oversees the town-based program, Kline said.
"This is the third year for this group," she said. "It is not meant to replace a big/little situation but is used as a supplemental program. I do all the recruiting [of students], the interviewing and the matching, and the Youth Center handles the program at the school. It's going pretty well. The kids do homework, play games, do activities and share snacks. We're planning some field trips."
The bowling fundraiser is vital to the program, said Kline and Blair.
The cost of making one successful match can approach about $1,000, said Kline, who noted that there are fees associated with CORI and SORI checks, as well as additional expenses.
"I hope we can meet the goal, I really hope so," said Blair. "We are the only national affiliated mentoring program in Berkshire County, and mentoring is touted as one of the most successful ways to target the top five youth risk factors: suicide, teen pregnancy, school drop-out, alcohol and drug use, and violence."
Kline noted that entities that are beneficiaries of state and federal budgets have seen their funding slashed and any funding cuts impact groups such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
"The pie isn't getting any bigger, the slices are getting smaller," she said. "And the need is getting stronger."
Those interested in participating during the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Berkshire County "Bowl For Kids Sake" may contact Kline at 413-663-7588 or Blair at 413-443-9471.
Kline may be contacted via e-mail at bbbs@nbccoalition.org and Blair may be reached at a bbbs@rnetworx.com e-mail address.
Additional information about the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization is available by calling Kline or Blair or through a www.bbbs.org Internet web site.
