The Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is gearing up for one of its biggest fundraising events of the year. The century-old organization has been providing children with mentoring services throughout the nation where a child, also known as a “little”, is matched with an adult, also known as a “big”. The goal is to provide a positive relationship so the child can achieve higher aspirations, greater confidence, educational success, and avoid risky, or negative behavior. Alysia Poulos site manager for Knox County tells WGIL that kids get matched between the age of five and twelve. “An age requirement, we just ask that you are at least 16 years old to be a Big,” Poulos said. “A couple of our Bigs are actually in their seventies. We ask that the Bigs commit for a year – (but) once they get into the match it usually lasts longer than a year. We will monitor the match up until the child is eighteen years old. We have several matches that still maintain contact throughout their entire lives. So it’s definitely a life-changing program.” In Knox County, several female Bigs are ready to be matched with a female Little. Poulus says Big Brothers Big Sisters offers other programs for mentoring as well. “For someone who is kind of concerned about the time commitment, I do recommend the Lunch Buddies program,” Poulus added. “Just because you are just committed for the school year. You’re only going once a week, or once every other week. You’re going to the child’s school to have lunch with them during their lunch period. So it’s only about a half hour period. You guys can do homework, eat lunch, play games…” The Bowl of Kids’ Sake Fundraiser will be held March 11th from noon until 3:00pm at Northgate Lanes in Galesburg. Teams are encouraged to set an ambitious fundraising goal, share information on the program, and of course, bowl strikes. To sign up a team, donate, or to join in the cause, visit the Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters website, or call 309-344-2252.
