“We’re celebrating 100 years in Canada, 40 years in P.A., so we thought it would be a good idea to do a 100-year theme,” said Allyson Wall, event and fundraising co-ordinator. “We’ve got people dressed from every different decade. I saw some people from the ’50s and ’60s so far, and of course, I’m from the ’80s.”
Participants were encouraged to wear an outfit that corresponded with the style of a decade from the last 100 years.
Though there was a change in outfits, the goal remained the same -- to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters. And according to Wall, the event has been growing since its inception.
“We started actually with only six lanes six years ago and now we’re up to 20 lanes,” she said, noting that each lane has between four and six people. “We’re at capacity, so that’s wonderful that P.A. is behind us on this event.”
The event is meant for Big Brothers Big Sisters to raise money for programming in Prince Albert so that more children can be served and more volunteers can be recruited and trained.
For Saturday’s event, the target amount to raise was $8,000, the highest Big Brothers Big Sisters Prince Albert would ever have raised. That goal was surpassed with $8,200 being raised.
In addition to glow bowling, there was a silent auction, as well as prizes and a dance later on in the evening.
Darlene Gareau is the community relations regional co-ordinator for Conexus Credit Union, which raised $1,387 for the event. With Conexus supplying $250 to start off, three of its employees, including Gareau, independently racked up more than $1,000.
“We do fundraisers and go around and get pledges, and it’s all within the staff, usually. And that’s where we get the rest of the money,” she said.
Gareau’s team, the Conexus Greasers, was in full 1950s attire for the event, with Gareau dressed up as Frenchy from the 1978 film “Grease.”
As of Saturday, the number of “littles” on the waiting increased to 21, a sign of growing interest, according to Wall.
Bowling in the event were “bigs” Stephanie Hamel and Adam Dziadyk, who were later congratulated as big sister and brother of the year.
Hamel started out as a “little” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Yorkton, before going to college and moving to P.A. for work. She has been a “big” for a little more than a year.
“I wasn’t doing much, so I figured it was my turn to be a big sister,” she said. “My little sister was seven when we started and she’s nine now.”
Hamel said it’s been an interesting experience to watch her little sister grow and noted that her influence is making a difference for the family she’s helping.
“It’s nice to have someone to fall back on once a week,” she said. “We get a little outing. Every week, we do something, whether it’s bowling, swimming.”
Mentoring has brought out the kid in Dziadyk.
“We do things together that I normally wouldn’t do on my own,” he said. “It’s always a good time ... I always think of ideas of where he may be missing out, and I want to be that person to teach him things like that.”
Both Dziadyk and Hamel agreed that the program has served as preparation for them if they choose to have children.
“He’s my little brother, but he could easily be my son,” said Dziadyk, 28. “I feel like I’m doing identical things.”
With no siblings and never having to babysit, Hamel said her mentorship has been an eye-opener.
“Actually, when I signed up, I said I wanted a 13-year-old and I got a seven-year-old, so that was quite the wake-up call,” said the 22-year-old. “I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s definitely changed my outlook on kids. She’s been teaching me as much as I’ve been teaching her.”
alex.dipietro@paherald.sk.ca
