Bowling event helps bring BBBS to Mat-Su

WASILLA -- For many years, people have talked about starting a Big Brothers Big Sisters program in the Mat-Su Valley. For the past several months, a determined group of community volunteers has been working hard to finally make it happen.

Big Brothers Big Sisters matches at-risk youth with a positive role models from their community. Stephanie Berglund works with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Anchorage. She helps volunteers organize the Valley program. Berglund said there has been a lot of interest in the program from the community.

"So far, we've had a lot of preliminary meetings, educating volunteers about the program and sharing information," Berglund said. "We decided the next logical step would be to raise the money we need to start the program."

On Sunday the group held a fundraiser, Bowl for Kids Sake, at North Bowl in Wasilla. According to Berglund, the money they raised -- roughly $15,000 -- will be used to help start the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in the Valley.

North Bowl was a flurry of activity during the event, with big clusters of brightly colored balloons setting the backdrop for boisterous bowlers cheering on their teammates while the token announcer called out prize winners and thanked sponsors. Fifty-five bowlers participated in the fundraiser, and had the opportunity to win big prizes including a Caribbean cruise for two donated by Princess Cruises, and a wood-burning cook stove from Alaska Fireplace.

Dennis Goerdt of Wasilla collected $815 in pledges and won the high fundraiser prize. Goerdt is not a Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer -- he heard about the event through his bowling league. He took home a Mt. McKinley flightseeing trip for two from Talkeetna Air Taxi for his efforts.

The Valley Big Brothers Big Sisters program effort is supported by many local agencies and community leaders, including the Community Schools program and the Prudential Youth Leadership Institute. Representatives of these organizations and other area youth leaders and educators were present and participating in the event.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization has been operating in the United States for a hundred years, and in Anchorage for about 30 years. Along with Big Brothers Big Sisters offices in Fairbanks and Juneau, the Anchorage chapter has been focusing on expanding their services to new areas. Over the past two years, they have helped start programs in Seward, Homer, Valdez, and now the Valley. An informal list of potential Valley "brothers and sisters" -- both big and little -- is being kept, and these people will be contacted once the program is up and running.

Lanie Fleischer, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Anchorage, said she hopes to see the Mat-Su Valley program in place by July.

"It really depends on our fund raising efforts," she said. "We need to have the funds in place to pay for a caseworker."

Fleischer said having professional staff support is the key to making matches that work, and matches that work are what makes the program a success.

Meetings of the Valley Big Brothers Big Sisters group are held on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7 p.m. in Wasilla. Anyone interested in the program is welcome to attend. For more information and meeting location, call 357-BBBS.