This past Wednesday, Feb. 22, Washburn held its second annual Bowl For Kids Sake fundraiser at Gage Bowl.

Any organization on campus was allowed to form a team and paid a $50 entry fee to bowl for the event. The teams were then encouraged to raise any money they could, competing against each other to raise the most money. All the proceeds raised went to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Topeka.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit organization that helps match mentors with children who are in need of someone extra in their life. The mentor and child are matched together based on similar interests and spend time together at least once a week. The main goal for this program is that the mentor helps their child develops skills to help them succeed in everyday life while building a special bond.

“Service is essential to student development,” said Gary Handy, assistant director of student activities and greek life. “Bowl For Kids Sake is just another opportunity that allows students to get involved with their community and learn a little bit more about Big Brothers Big Sisters while being able to build that service experience.”

A positive effect of events such as Bowl For Kids Sake is that it brings Washburn students together and also the Topeka community. Family, friends and neighbors all come together to support a better life for the children throughout the community so that they can in turn have mentors and create better opportunities for themselves.

“Bowl For Kids Sake is a great way for the community and student organizations to come together and get the students here at Washburn involved,” said Derek Fritz, a junior biology major. “Events like this really help students develop a positive attitude that they can adopt for the rest of their life.”

This year there were 19 different teams from Washburn that participated in the Bowl For Kids Sake and together the teams raised more than  $2,000.

“Every kid deserves to have a childhood,” said Sean Donnelly, freshman mass media major. “Some kids don’t get a chance for a lot of opportunities and Big Brothers Big Sisters gives them that chance.”

If anyone is interested in being a part of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program or donating to the organization, contact them by phone at 234-5524 or online at http://www.topeka.kansasbigs.org.