Bowl for Kids' Sake is BACK in 2023!
After a 3-year pause, Bowl for Kids' Sake returns this year, with bowling events in four different regions!
There's a Bowl for Kids' Sake coming to a bowling center near you!
Androscoggin: Thursday, May 11, 3-9pm, at Just-In-Time Recreation Center, Lewiston REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW!
Penobscot: Thursday, Sept. 14, 4-8 pm, at Family Fun Bowling, Bangor
Kennebec: Friday, Oct. 6, 4-8pm, at Sparetime Recreation Center, Hallowell
Midcoast: Friday, Nov. 3, 3-8pm at ALLPLaY Family Entertainment Center, Belfast
Get Your Teams Ready! Get Rolling Here!
Big THANKS to our Bowl for Kids' Sake Presenting Sponsor:
Meet Hayley and Ryder!
Click the Green Play Button to meet Big Sister Hayley and her Little Sister, Ryder, featured in our BRAND NEW VIDEO sharing their life-changing friendship that was created through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine! Every week, Ryder and Hayley meet up for a couple of hours to chat while they draw, color, take walks and sometimes even break out into dance! It takes so little time to make a Big Impact!
Have you ever thought about becoming a Big? There has never been a better time than RIGHT NOW!
Learn more right now about how easy it is to change a life! #DefendPotential2023
Volunteer Program Coordinators Needed!
We have an immediate need for adult volunteers to serve as coordinators at school-based mentoring programs. Coordinators are adults (18 years or older) from the community who can dedicate 1½ hours, one day each week from October through May (except school vacation weeks) to supervise match meetings of high school mentors (Bigs) and elementary school Littles.
School-based programs have 1-2 coordinators who attend each week to oversee and supervise match meetings to ensure child safety and support Bigs and Littles. We interview, screen, train, and support you all year! Continuing education credits are provided.
Successful coordinators are responsible, dedicated, enjoy working with and coaching youth of all ages and backgrounds, have great listening skills, are willing to learn, have patience, flexibility and love helping kids reach their greatest potential. Coordinators arrive early to greet the matches, help set up and clean up, organize meeting supplies and snacks, facilitate group activities, and provide support to both Bigs and Littles.
Here is a list of school programs in need of one or two coordinators:
Mid-Coast Programs
South School (Rockland): Tuesdays 3-4pm
Warren Community School (Warren): Thursdays 3:30-4:30pm
Great Salt Bay Community School (Damariscotta): Wednesdays 2:45-3:45pm
Lincolnville Central School (Lincolnville): Thursdays 3-4pm
Miller School (Waldoboro): Tuesdays 3-4pm
Kennebec/Somerset Programs
Silvio J. Gilbert Elementary School (Augusta): Mondays or Thursdays 3-4pm
Williams Elementary School (Oakland) Wednesdays 2:45-3:45pm
Penobscot Programs
Leroy H. Smith School (Winterport): Tuesdays 2:30-3:30pm
To learn more about becoming a volunteer school-based coordinator, please contact
Haley Stearns, School-Based Manager, at (207) 236-BBBS (2227) ext. 103 or email haley@bbbsmidmaine.org.
MEET OUR FIRST BIGS WITH BADGES!
Chief Jared Mills and his Little Brother Caleb were among the first to be matched in BBBS of Mid-Maine’s first Bigs with Badges mentoring program, a collaborative partnership matching students from Sylvio J. Gilbert Elementary School with mentors from the Augusta Police Department. For an hour every week, Officer Mills visits Caleb at his school for lunch, shooting hoops or a board game. Learn how this new friendship is already impacting Caleb, and Officer Mills!
Riley can’t wait for her Big Sister Officer Sara Rogers to arrive every week for lunch and playtime! Their unique friendship is growing each time they meet, discovering their mutual love for football, card games, and knowledge of all things Pokémon! Usually quiet and shy, Riley is discovering her voice and finding new self-confidence. While Officer Rogers is discovering her passion for mentoring! It's a perfect match. Watch their story! Our Bigs with Badges program launch in November, 2021, was made possible with the help of a United Way of Kennebec Valley Innovation Grant. Together, we’re creating positive, one-to-one relationships that will no doubt ignite the power and promise of local youth!
How does Big Brothers Big Sisters help Kasaius?
Matching
When Big Brothers Big Sisters works to match a Little with a Big, we take into account the needs, personality, interests, and goals of both the child and the adult volunteer. We introduce the Little and his or her family to the Big slowly and make sure everyone is fully committed to the match before it is made official. Little Brother Kasaius is outgoing and up for anything, so he needed a Big who was creative and had a variety of interests.
Relationship Management
Children like Kasaius get the most out of their one-to-one relationship with their Big when the Big, the parent or guardian, and the child talk openly with their Match Support Specialist. Working as part of the team helping the child succeed, the Match Support Specialist can help identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and connect the family with essential services.
Activities
When Kasaius’ Big Brother saw the email from BBBS saying that there were spots open in a free acting class, he jumped at the chance to take Kasaius. BBBS affiliates across the country provide activities for Bigs and Littles and also alert Bigs to opportunities in the community. This enables Bigs to get to know other Bigs, who might be experiencing similar things and who might have great suggestions for more new activities.
Screening and Training
Child safety is Big Brothers Big Sisters’ highest priority. To achieve the highest standards possible, we work constantly to review and strengthen our background check systems as new best practices in the industry emerge. We also make sure our Bigs and our staff have the training and resources they need to help Littles on their path to success.
