LEXINGTON — Lex Lanes hosted the 21st annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake on Saturday.
Approximately 60 teams of five participated in the event in an effort to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Central Ohio.
“It’s our largest fundraiser of the year,” said Jim Nicholson, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Central Ohio. “We hope to make about 20 percent of our budget from this one-day event.”
That amounts to about $30,000.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Nicholson said. “We’re real close to it, so we’ll see how it works out in the end.”
The event was divided into two sessions, with one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Doc Stumbo of Graham Automall organized a team dubbed “Beauty and the Beast,” sponsored by Graham Automall.
“We’re the beasts,” Stumbo joked of himself and Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson, “And they’re the beauties,” he said of their fellow bowlers, which included Miss Ontario Kamryn Yahney, Miss Ontario Teen International Ashley Blevins, Miss Arnold Teen Fitness Lauren Beard and former Miss Ohio Sarah Hider.
Stumbo said Graham Automall has sponsored a team for the Bowl for Kids’ Sake since the very beginning.
“They do a great job with helping kids,” he said of Big Brothers Big Sisters. “It’s a great organization.”
Richland Bank had multiple teams bowl.
Jill Montgomery, bank manager of the Kroger on Lexington Avenue branch, said Richland Bank always tries to have as many teams possible participate.
On why they wanted to support the cause, Montgomery said, “We wanted to give back to the community.”
Event proceeds will support Big Brothers Big Sisters programming in Ashland, Crawford and Richland counties, which includes Community-based Mentoring and High School Bigs Mentoring.
“The community-based program is our traditional matching program that most people think of when they hear Big Brothers Big Sisters,” Nicholson said. “In that program, you’re matched with a child in your community or area and you spend time together when it’s convenient for and the little brother or little sister.”
Youngsters served in the community-based program are between the ages of five to 16 years old.
Once they get matched they can stay matched until they’re 18 or 19 years old, depending on the situation, Nicholson said.
“Four hours a month is all we ask and a one year commitment, so it could one Saturday afternoon a month or it could be every other week after school for just a couple hours to help with homework or go out and have some dinner or something like that,” he said.
With the high school mentoring program, high school students mentor elementary students at schools, libraries and community centers.
“We’ve got five of those (programs) running right now,” Nicholson said. “These programs are so great because the high school kids get as much out of it, I think, as the little kids.”
To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters, call 419-525-4618.
