Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County Bowl for Kids’ Sake 2010 Strikes Success!

NEWBURGH, NY, April 1, 2010 - It takes a village to raise a child, and to prove that saying true, hundreds of members of the community came out on Sunday, March 28 to Bowl For Kids’ Sake, the annual fundraiser that benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County. Approximately 300 bowlers, supporters, participants and friends came out to Bowling Time Lanes in New Windsor to raise over $28,000 and celebrate the agency’s mission of assuring children reach their highest potential through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships.

The event was made possible by the generosity of numerous businesses that sponsored the event and sent teams of employees to bowl.  These included “Strike” Sponsors Chubb Insurance, Walden Savings Bank and SimplexGrinell as well as “Spare” Sponsors Advance Testing, Armistead Mechanical, Geovation Engineering, Goldstein, Karlewicz & Goldstein, Inspire, L. Bakker, C.P.A., New Windsor Country Inn, New York Life, Pro Motion Physical Therapy, SoulSystem Orchestras, and TD Bank who helped the event get off to a strong start. The thank you party lasted all afternoon with donated food and beverage thanks to Loughran’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, Pizza Mia and ShopRite. The crowd showed off their bowling style infused with fun and music courtesy of Party Time Productions, and scored dozens of donated door prizes courtesy of local businesses. 

Staff from Kohl’s A-Team of Newburgh, Middletown, and Central Valley volunteered their time to serve food, and their efforts are being matched by a $1,500 grant from the Kohl’s corporate office. Walden Savings Bank employees, led by Big Brother volunteer Tim Hoppe, showed their annual support by staffing the registration table.  And Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors from Mount Saint Mary College and West Point were there with their mentees, all wearing blue “mentoring matters to me” shirts to show the community how much they care about the children.

Executive Director Nancy Kosloski expressed deep gratitude to all who helped to bring out their community spirit during what we all know are challenging economic times for any organization. It was clear that supporting positive youth development through mentoring matters here in Orange County. Bob DeMarco, a Big Brother volunteer was the recipient of the “top individual fundraiser” award said, “Children of today will be mentors of tomorrow, reach out and open your hand.” He got those he knew to do just that, raising $1,250 by reaching out friends and family, asking them to support this cause.

Other monetary support came from “Split” Sponsors Architectural Door & Hardware, Awning FX, Donna Cornell & Co., Fidelis Care, Lanc & Tully, Manza Family Farm, Maser Consulting, Mid-City Transit, Newburgh Performing Arts Academy, Orange County Trust Company, Orange Regional Medical Center, The Reis Group, Stanley, Marks & Company CPA’s, Stewart’s Shops, Val-U-Office, Valuation Consultants, Walden Federal Savings, and World Wide Travel, many of whom have sponsored year after year. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County would like to extend their appreciation to all of the businesses and participants for their generous partnerships.

Bowl For Kids’ Sake is the signature fundraiser of Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies throughout the country. Annually, over 500,000 people participate in these fundraising events, raising millions of dollars to promote mentoring programs in America. As a local affiliate, we count on the community to assure that funds are raised to continue services here in Orange County. For more information or to make a contribution, visit www.mentorachild.org