Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS Madeline Ranta and Ginger Holst play a board game with high school student Rebecca Kapelka at Sleight Elementary School in Ironwood Wednesday. Kindergarten students are matched with high schoolers through a High Five program of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Saturday's Bowl for Kids will raise money for the program.
By CORTNEY OFSTAD
Ironwood - The 14th annual Bowl for Kids, through Big Brothers Big Sisters, is set for Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
The event will be at Larry Lucky Strikes and teams of four to eight people are welcome to register for the event.
Teams can pre-register and each participant must raise a minimum of $37 in pledges to be eligible for two hours of bowling.
According to Kristy Recla, match support coordinator for BBBS, the event is the only fund-raiser for the group, and money goes to a "great cause."
"All of the funding stays local to help kids in this area," Recla said.
BBBS mentoring programs operate under U.P. Kids, an organization "dedicated to caring for children and building brighter futures," according to a press release.
Maggie Munch, program director for BBBS, said BBBS makes a "positive, long-lasting impact on children in the community," serving more that 200 children and youth on the Gogebic Range in the past year.
It is also "postively impacting their self-esteem, academic performance, attitudes toward school and volunteering," Munch said.
In Ironwood, students participate in a High Five program, matching high schoolers, or "bigs," with elementary students, or "littles." Students work together one hour a week, from playing games to just hanging out.
"Traditional matching pairs a community member with a child for one-on-one mentoring, support and friendship," Recla said. "For the High Five program, high school students provide that one-on-one mentoring support and friendship. The kids love their time with their 'bigs' and it is so much fun to see. It's a lot of fun."
For more information, or to register a team, call the Big Brothers Big Sisters office in Ironwood at 906-932-8463, or write an email to [email protected].
