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Bowl for Kids' Sake Raises Over $114,000
Jill Engels
 Over 800 bowl to impact children's lives - This year's Bowl for Kids' Sake was a success, raising over $114,000 for children in the Lehigh Valley. Over 800 bowlers from the community solicited individual sponsors, raising an average of $110 per bowler. Robert Rupel, the 2009 top individual fundraiser, raised $2,075 and the 2009 top team, Lafayette Ambassador Bank 4, raised $2,325.
85 percent of the proceeds from Bowl for Kids' Sake goes directly to matching a child with a caring, adult mentor. This year's event raised enough money to match over 100 children. Thank you to all of the bowlers, sponsors, and volunteers who made this possible.
The winners of this year's Big Raffle are:
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Lynn Nemeth - 2 round-trip tickets to Orlando, FL, courtesy of Allegiant Air and 2 $100 limousine gift cards, courtesy of Elegant Arrivals
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Stephen Breininger - 2 sets of 2 tickets to the U.S. Women's Open, courtesy of the 2009 U.S. Women's Open Championship
This year's event raffle raised almost $1,800. The winners are:
 Local Companies Support Big Brothers Big Sisters Despite the current economic situation, many companies and businesses jumped at the chance to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters and sponsor this year's Bowl for Kids' Sake. Thanks to these companies, a higher percentage of the funds raised at the event can go directly to matching a child with an adult mentor. The 2009 Corporate Sponsors pledged a total of over $16,000.
Many local companies also came out to bowl on the day of the event. Over 70 different compaines were represented throughout the day on the lanes. This year's top company was PPL with 77 bowlers who raised just over $10,000!
 Robert Rupel named Bowl for Kids' Sake chairman - A long time friend of the agency, Lafayette Ambassador Bank Chairman, President and CEO Robert A. Rupel served as the honorary chairperson for this year's event. “Big Brothers Big Sisters is a strong and necessary agency in the Lehigh Valley,” Rupel said. “It was my honor to serve as the 2009 Bowl For Kids’ Sake chair.”
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Touched by Angels
Dara Kelly
Holiday Gifts Galore - Big Brothers Big Sisters was touched by many angels this holiday season through The Morning Call's annual Be An Angel campaign. The campaign listed three wishes of local non-profit organizations and invited residents of the Lehigh Valley to make these wishes come true. Agency staff was overwhelmed by the response from community members.
Angels were sought for our Adopt-a-Family program which provides gifts for families who would not otherwise receive presents during the holidays. Six individuals and companies adopted eight of our families in need. They went above and beyond what was expected of them by purchasing clothes, food, toys, and gift cards for the families. The angels did not just buy gifts, they truly adopted each family.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is grateful for the time and generosity of each angel:
- Jamie Raines and Cera-Met
- Carmen Croman and Habit OPCO
- Sharon Artinger and St. George Ministries of the Holy Cross
- Sharon Reeves and the Lehigh Valley Animal Hospital
- Nancy Licini
- Kitsy and Courtney Guier
An Unexpected Knock at the Door - After noticing the wish for a clean office for a year in the Be An Angel campaign, Mike Weaver of Emmaus stopped by the Lehigh County office. He owns a cleaning business that cleans offices near our agency. He knocked on the door and stated that he would like to offer to clean the office once a month for a year. When asked how much it would cost, Mr. Weaver said, "Nothing." The offer was gladly accepted and the office has been spotless since his first visit.
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 Increase in Number of Children Served
Lara McClintock
400 matches in one calendar year is a lofty goal for an agency with only five program staff. In 2008, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley matched 405 children in the community with caring, adult mentors, a 16% increase in the number of Littles served in 2007.
151 Littles in the Community-Based program saw their Bigs at least once a week for two to four hours each week; 53 of these were new matches this year. 254 elementary school Littles in the school-based program saw their high school Bigs at least three times per month for an hour during the school day; 158 of these were new matches this year.
This lofty goal was met as a result of your continued support. All 405 children have been greatly impacted by the services of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of children in the Lehigh Valley.
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Bigs and Littles Share Holiday Cheer
Leslie Villella
 To celebrate the holidays and the end of a great year, Bigs, Littles, staff, and board members enjoyed food and festivities at the 2008 Holiday Party. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Bethlehem hosted 97 people, including 28 matches, for the fun-filled evening.
DJ Rob Reilly, husband of Big Sister Melissa Cunningham Reilly  encouraged dancing with songs like "The Electric Slide" and students from the Liberty High School Key Club entertained with games like musical chairs and bingo. Santa Claus brought each Little a Crayola art kit to finish off the night.
Thanks to Subway in Bethlehem for providing sandwiches as an addition to side dishes and desserts prepared by each match. As the evening drew to a  close, volunteers from Lafayette Ambassador Bank wrapped up leftovers for people to take home. The party provided a unique setting for Littles to interact with other adults and agency staff in a casual setting.
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Guests Hear Big Stories!
Carolyn Treusch
  
To honor Bigs and Littles for their outstanding participation, Big Brothers Big Sisters hosts an annual awards ceremony. This year’s Big Stories! was held at the Martin Guitar Factory in Nazareth, a unique and casual venue for the celebration. It also provided the opportunity for guests to explore the Martin Guitar Museum.
Special thanks go to Martin Guitar Visitors Relations Manager Sherri Hoff, the Culinary Arts students from the Bethlehem Area Vocational–Technical School who prepared and served refreshments, and Chad Wynn from Easton Area High School who provided a beautiful medley of songs throughout the evening.
78 community members proudly acknowledged the following honorees:
- Match of the Year: Jen West and Jenna
- Bigs of the Year: Susan Wagner, David Rahusen
- Big Couple of the Year: Andrea and Jon Schwartz
- Littles of the Year: Amber, Andrew
- High School Bigs of the Year: Nicole Sardella, Jason Susko
- 2008 Staff Award: Maryjean deSandes, CEO
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Exclusive Pricing at U.S. Women's Open
The world’s best golfers are coming to the Lehigh Valley to compete in the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, July 6-12 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem. Now through Friday, May 1 all  Big Brothers Big Sisters staff, volunteers, and their friends and family will receive preferred ticket pricing. With this special offer you can attend the most prestigious championship in women’s golf for as little as $5. Kids 17 and under get in FREE every day during Championship week when accompanied by a ticketed adult (and will receive a free lunch voucher Monday through Wednesday).
Five world-class athletes will be on the grounds during the week to provide their own special brand of inspiration and athletic advice for young athletes and fans including Robin Roberts, Julie Foudy, Heather O’Reilly, Shannon Miller, and Kyle Lograsso. Children will also have VIP access to the Kids Club, an exclusive tented area in the middle of the action with interactive games and a real practice putting green. This is an event you won’t want to miss!
 See the preferred ticket pricing order form for this exclusive offer. For more information on the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open, visit www.2009uswomensopen.com or contact the Championship office at (610) 814-6104.
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Smiles are Evident at Steckel Valentine's Day Party
Dara Kelly
On February 12, over 20 matches from the Whitehall - Coplay School District celebrated a Valentine’s Day party at Steckel Elementary. High School Bigs and Elementary School Littles enjoyed ice cream sundaes,  played Heart Bingo, and worked on Valentine’s Day word games. Littles were also given a sheet of questions to interview their Bigs in order to find out more about them.
Superintendent Jack Corby, School Board President Eileen Abruzzi, and Representative Joseph Brennan also stopped by to the join the party. Smiles were evident on all the faces of the matches throughout the party, especially the Littles who appreciated the special Valentine’s Day cards and gifts they received from their Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
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 Kruise 4 Kids a Success
Jill Engels
The first ever Kruise 4 Kids, a custom car cruise and poker run, took place on Sunday, October 19, 2008. The fundraiser, to support local agencies that are dedicated to helping children, was organized in honor of Guy Randall Ackley, president of Ackley Advertising.
Kruise 4 Kids presented a $5,000 check to Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley, Camelot for Children, The Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley, and the Patriot Guard Riders of Pennsylvania. Many thanks go out to all of the riders that participated in the event and the Kruise 4 Kids Committee.
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Scholarship Opportunity for High School Seniors
Jill Engels
 The Martin D. Cohen Family Foundation was created with the idea that the best way to help young people raise themselves up in the world is to help them get an education. High school seniors who need financial assistance to further their education may apply to the Foundation for a $250 or $500 scholarship for college. Foundation scholarships are gifts, not loans, and need not be paid back. To apply for the scholarship, students must complete the attached scholarship application and submit it to their guidance counselor.
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Tax Deductions Available for Bigs
It’s that time of year again to begin calculating and filing your federal income tax. Big Brothers Big Sisters is pleased to inform you that Bigs are entitled to the following tax deductions:
- You may deduct $.14 cents per mile incurred in picking up and driving your Little.
- You may also deduct the cost of meals, movie tickets, museum admissions, etc. which you spend for the Little. However, you cannot deduct the costs you incur for your own meals, tickets. etc.
While Big Brothers Big Sisters encourages quality time rather than money spent on the Little to be most important in the relationship, we trust that you will find the above information useful.
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