Big Brothers Big Sisters fundraiser supports San Juan County youth mentoring

Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Mexico will use its annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser to keep one-to-one mentoring matches going for San Juan County youth, with the Farmington event set for June 13 at Bowlero Lanes.

The local fundraiser will offer bowling sessions at 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and organizers describe it as a noncompetitive, team-based event built around five-person teams. The team fee is $500 for five people, and the invitation extends to teams, businesses and community members who want to support youth mentoring in Farmington and the wider county.

Big Brothers Big Sisters says the campaign is its signature fundraiser and has been held nationally for more than 50 years. Across the country, the organization says, half a million people take part each year in Bowl for Kids’ Sake events that support mentoring matches between caring adult volunteers and children. In New Mexico, those matches are the heart of the group’s work, and the Farmington office at 308 N. Locke Ave. helps anchor that effort locally.

The fundraiser also carries real local history. Neilson Francisco, the site director, has said the Farmington Bowl for Kids’ Sake has taken place since about 2005, giving the event nearly two decades of presence in the community. That longevity matters in a place like San Juan County, where mentoring programs depend on steady community support to stay visible and active.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Mexico says its mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. In Farmington, that mission will again depend on bowlers, sponsors and local supporters turning out on June 13 to keep the program moving forward.