Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brazos Valley will host their annual fundraising event Bowl for Kids’ Sake on March 2.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit organization that connects leaders in the community, called “Bigs,” with children who join the program, called “Littles.” Bowl for Kids’ Sake is an annual event for all chapters of Big Brothers Big Sisters. This year, the Brazos Valley chapter is aiming to raise raising $20,000. After local teams raise $100 per person, they can attend the 3-hour bowling event together at Grand Station, where the organization will provide them with a bowling lane, pizza and drinks, along with the chance to win a variety of door prizes.
Justin Estes — Class of 2005, a board member for BBBSBV and organizer for Bowl for Kids’ Sake — has been involved with the nonprofit since he was a mentor during his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M.
“This is a great way to plug in and give back to the community,” Estes said. “I think when you donate to events like this, you’re literally investing in the future of Bryan-College Station because these are the kids in our community who struggle. We want to offer them any kind of support and encouragement that we can so that they can reach their potential, grow up and be productive citizens and go on to lead successful lives.”
Terry Dougherty, branch director of BBBSBV, said the nonprofit works to provide mentors for children in the community who may face adversity from poverty, educational struggles, household issues or other restrictions holding them back from success.
“Every kid, we believe, is born with a lot of potential, but there’s a lot of things that could get in their way of fulfilling it — of living into it,” Dougherty said. “Our hope is that our mentors are equipped and trained and supported to help clear a path for the child so they can walk into that potential that they were meant to be.”
Sydney Sanders, biology senior and director of logistics for Aggie Leadership and Service (ALAS), has been a Big for two years with BBBSBV.  When Sanders and five of her friends started ALAS three years ago, they chose BBBSBV as their philanthropy.
“We were looking for basically a philanthropy to base our organization around, and after doing a little bit of research, someone brought up Big Brothers Big Sisters,” Sanders said. “After hearing a lot of the stories about how much impact the college students had working with the littles, immediately we knew we wanted to work with them.”
Nancy Parish, instructional assistant professor of communication, was a mentor while attending graduate school in Gainesville, Florida in the early 2000s, and her little  is now in college. Although she does not serve as a mentor for the Brazos Valley branch, Parish taught a class in the Fall of 2018 in which students helped prepare a strategic plan for Bowl for Kids’ Sake.
“No matter through time or distance or location, the need is still there,” Parish said. “Being able to help them in whatever capacity I can give makes me happy.”
More information about Brazos Bowl for Kids’ Sake 2019, including donation and team registration links, visit bigmentor.org/aggiebfks.