Very pinteresting: Striking art adds flair to Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraiser
Very pinteresting: Striking art adds flair to Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraiser
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Nicholas DeMarino/The Daily Courier
Amber Jenkins and Dyhanna Anderson admire Courtney Jester, created for Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids’ Sake. |
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Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters' annual Bowl For Kids' Sake fundraiser continues with new participation deadlines in May. For the first time, teams are invited to pick up a bowling pin to decorate and represent their team.
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The Daily Courier
PRESCOTT - Amber Jenkins wants to go from Little to Big.
"With the experiences I've had, I can help another kid who's going through things and can't talk to their parents," said Amber, a junior at Bradshaw Mountain High School and Little Sister in the Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
"Amber's already helping at the picnics and, when we're not bowling, she helps with fundraisers and events," said Dyhanna Anderson, who became Amber' Big Sister two-and-a-half years ago.
Two women, Nora Jenkins, Amber's mother, and Teresa Jones, the nonprofit's events coordinator, voiced support for her. But the cowboy, penguin and other 80-odd visitors in the room sat mute, unmoved by the story.
That's probably because they're bowling
pins.
While inanimate, these anthropomorphic pinheads speak volumes about the community's support for Big-Little matchups. They represent bowling teams for the annual Bowl For Kids' Sake, which, in years past, has netted about a-quarter-million dollars - roughly a quarter of Big Brothers Big Sisters' annual revenue.
"The fundraiser has been going
on for nearly three decades, but this is the first year we've done this," Jones said. "The
Pins on Parade, they're just a small idea that started last fall. People are stressed for money and for time, so when you look at all of these and think about how much time went into them, it's just amazing."
A bowl of charitiesBowling is a buzzword in the Big Brothers Big Sisters office as Bowl for Kids' Sake events blossom in the first half of the year.
"Part of the idea with
Pins of
Parade was to reengage people and to get their creative spirit going outside of just fundraising," said Jones, who's in her second year with the nonprofit. "We started with 150
pins, and every team that's signed up has turned
one into something that represents them, creating a little extra excitement and engagement."
Anderson, a field trainer for the Yavapai County Superior Court, said her organization sponsors four Bowl For Kids' Sake teams, each with its own bowling pin this year.
"This was kind of fun for us to figure out," she said, showing off Courtney Chester, the droll mascot who "comes from a long line of Chester jesters," and represents the Court Jesters team.
With any luck, the twist could help raise awareness for are Bowl for Kids' Sake events, Jones said.
The financial crash of 2008 was a rough year for Big Brothers Big Sisters, as revenues plummeted from $2.87 million to $1.36 million the next year. Since then, there's been a steady decrease, with a recent low of $1 million in 2010.
"The trend has been going down a little bit, but this community has been able to hold us in place," Jones said. "It's tough for everyone right now, which is why this is so amazing."
Bowl For Kids' Sake donations usually fund about 250 matches, a quarter of the group's approximately 1,000 yearly new or continuing matches, she said.
It's the group's single-largest fundraiser in this regard.
Bowling for communityThe six-and-a-half dozen
Pins on Parade pieces are no longer at Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters in Prescott.
On Monday they begin their first week-long promotional showcase, this time at Prescott True Value Hardware, 846 Miller Valley Road.
The
pins are judged collectively in May. The top three become pitchmen for next year's event campaign.
Although Bowl For Kids' Sake events are underway, it's not too late participate, or get a pin to decorate for a team. Participants agree to raise at least $125 in pledges.
Call 928-778-5135 or visit www.azbigs.org to find out more about Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bowl for Kids' Sake and the
Pins on Parade contest.
Upcoming participation deadlines are May 2, May 5 and May 12.
"Bowl for Kids' Sake isn't about bowling. It's about having fun and helping kids," states a news release
on the topic.
Considering the range of personal experiences within the program, perhaps it's difficult to get sense of how that plays out in Big-Little matchups.
Nora Jenkins, mother of three, offered her take
on what it's done for her daughter, Amber.
"She's grown and become more confident," Nora said. "It's been a positive thing for her, and I'm tickled she wants to give back to the program."
Amber said she's been through some rough times during these past couple years and, without Anderson, they might've been a lot rougher.
"It's really helped to talk about my problems with other people and having depression and whatnot," Amber said. "Now I want to help someone else."
