2022 Bowl for Kids Recap

The waves of support rolled in as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas’ 2022 Bowl for Kids event raised over $100,000 to fund mentoring relationships for children in Central Texas. One of BBBS’ signature fundraisers, this annual, themed bowling party exceeded the agency’s fundraising goal as it returned to an in-person format. Held on April 22 and 23 at Highland Lanes in Austin, everyone had a ‘whale of a good time’ at the beach-themed event, while raising funds to help BBBS provide more children with caring, committed mentors.

“Life is better in flip-flops, especially when it makes a huge impact for kids and families in our community,” said Leah Meunier, BBBS’ CEO. “It was amazing being back in person for this fun event. Everyone was ready to socialize while raising the funds needed to get children off our waiting list and connected with a mentor. Bowl for Kids is a win-win for everyone.”

Bowl for Kids is an annual peer-to-peer fundraiser where participants raise a minimum amount of funds and then enjoy a themed bowling party including food, drinks, souvenirs, photo booths, games, and prizes. Sixty-seven teams and more than 500 individual contributors, bowlers, volunteers, staff, Bigs, and Littles participated in the ‘sand-sational’ event.

“Our first Bowl for Kids back at Highland Lanes since 2019 was a huge success! We loved seeing so many new and old friends over the course of the weekend and are thrilled to have exceeded our $100,000 goal,” said Emily Franke, BBBS’ VP of Development. “Plans are already underway for the 40th annual Bowl for Kids in 2023, and we look forward to seeing the community come together for another record-breaking year supporting hundreds of one-to-one mentoring relationships in Central Texas.”

Hawaiian shirts were on display throughout the bowling alley, along with an abundance of beach balls and floaties. One participant sported a snorkel and goggles, and several bowlers wore crab and fish hats. A beach-themed banner provided the perfect photo op for teams, with Bigs and Littles getting into the spirit of the event by donning grass skirts and strumming ukuleles. All came together, many of whom have participated for years, to have fun and help kids.

One of the youngest participants and fundraisers was Ben Sinclair. “Ben has been in the kids bowling league at Highland Lanes for probably 5 years now,” said his dad, Stefan. “We’ve been participating in Bowl for Kids as a family since he was old enough to pick up a ball and he loves it.”

Ben came dressed as the sun, sporting a bright yellow floatie. “I really love to bowl! And I love to dress up in costumes and have fun,” said Ben, who added, “Plus, I get more strikes than my dad and mom.”

He also enjoyed the photo booth, and the bowling pin awards which he thought were very cool. “You should come to Bowl for Kids because you will have a great time and you will make a lot of new friends,” said Ben. “I’m very excited to come back again next year. I can’t wait to see what the costumes will be.”

Special awards were presented during each bowling slot recognizing the best individual costume, best team costume, most spirited team, and the biggest fundraisers. This year’s awards were bowling pins adorned with painted palm trees and a sandy beach scene. Participants were also entered to win door prizes during their bowling times.

Teams representing the Banking, Printing, Engineering and Construction industries participated, as did as teams from the gamers and designers, and media industries. Highland Lanes hosted the 39th annual event over the course of two days.

Essential to the event’s success, our top sponsors included Kingpin Sponsor RSM; Media Sponsor KVUE; plus, Anne & J.R. Carter Charitable Fund, arm, Bluepoint Games, Highland Lanes, Austin Subaru, Denver Dunlap Real Estate, GSD&M, Guerra Underground LLC, Kalologie Medspa Austin, Miller Imaging & Digital Solutions, and others.

The sun may have set on this year’s beach party, but the impact of BBBS’ 2022 Bowl for Kids event will last for months and years to come as 100% of funds raised will go directly towards pairing more BBBS kids with mentors, changing their lives for the better, forever.

See event photos HERE

See event highlight video HERE

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