On Thursday January 19, 2023 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara kicked off the 30th annual Tim Hortons Bowl for Kids’ Sake (BFKS) at Cataract Bowl in Niagara Falls. This year’s BFKS event is expected to be BIGGER than ever with two locations (Parkway Social and Cataract Bowl) and two dates, February 25 and 28 2023. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara (BBBSN) is encouraging everyone to start or join a fundraising team and to wear their best costumes because this year’s theme is “Night at the Movies”.
The BFKS event holds historical prominence for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara as their number one fundraising initiative – accounting for nearly 20% of their annual operating budget. Last year with generous support from the community, the 2022 event enabled Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide life-changing mentorship to 90 children and youth that were waiting for a caring adult mentor.
This year, the goal is to raise $130,000 through the Niagara Tim Hortons Bowl for Kids’ Sake to over 100 children and youth to be moved off the waitlist!
“We are excited to host our 2023 Tim Hortons Bowl For Kids’ Sake event for the first time ever as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara”, says Erin Graybiel, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara. “This event has a long-standing history in Niagara and is getting bigger thanks to the support of our community. There are plenty of opportunities for individuals and businesses to get involved and we strongly encouraging all to do so.”
BBBSN is thrilled to have Tim Hortons’ support for their 19th year as title sponsor of Bowl For Kids’ Sake. Tim Hortons commitment to fostering the strengths within youth and empowering them to pursue a life without limits is demonstrated through their Community Leaders Program that shows their undeniable commitment to bettering the lives of youth in our community.
“As a group, Tim Hortons store owners are big supporters of Big Brothers Big Sisters and know how important their fundraiser Bowl For Kids Sake is,” says Cathy Hopkins, Tim Hortons store owner in Niagara. “Our partnership is a good fit because we want to focus on young people and on investing in our community. We also know how important having a mentor can be in a child and youth’s life.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has an urgent need for volunteers to mentor children and youth in Niagara. This shortage coupled with the thorough onboarding process has resulted in a growing waitlist of children and youth waiting to be matched. Across Niagara, there are currently close to 300 children and youth that are eagerly awaiting their opportunity to be matched with a mentor who will have a meaningful impact on their life. Funds raised will expand the agency’s efforts to recruit, screen, train and monitor matches to promote a safe and positive experience for everyone involved.
We encourage you to become a sponsor, create a team or to volunteer and be a part of this year’s Tom Hortons Bowl For Kids’ Sake by visiting https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/big- brothers-big-sisters-of-niagara-falls/p2p/-BFKS/
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara
For 85 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been making a meaningful difference in the lives of youth ages 6 to 18 through our mentoring programs in Niagara. For both Big and Little, the mentoring experience becomes a life-changing relationship built on friendship, empowerment, and trust. Support from a caring adult mentor enables youth to experience essential developmental relationships, which help them to develop into healthy young people better able to deal with and overcome life’s adversities. Youth with mentors are more likely to graduate from high school, go to university, secure full time employment and have on average higher incomes.
