GKAR Members Bowl for Kids’ Sake

Long-standing tradition dates back to 1988

Every Bowl for Kids’ Sake event has its own personality: some are full of hoots and hollers while others are more low-key and family oriented. When the members of the Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors (GKAR) get together for their bowling shift, they are definitely hooting and hollering.

“I’m at Bowl for Kids’ Sake every year because it’s great day of fun, festivities and a lot of laughs with your friends, coworkers and competition,” says Kris McWilliams, a loan originator with PrimeLending in Portage and a member of the GKAR Bowl for Kids’ Sake committee.

While GKAR members have a great deal of fun at Bowl for Kids’ Sake, there is a serious side as well.

“The GKAR believes strongly in supporting other community organizations that help strengthen and grow our greater Kalamazoo/Portage community,” says McWilliams. “We believe so much in Big Brothers Big Sisters and what the program does for the little ones in our community to help foster their development of character. We are excited each year to make this a part of our culture and tradition to help support Big Brothers Big Sisters.”

Supporting the agency through Bowl for Kids’ Sake is a long-standing tradition of the GKAR. The association began participating in 1988 and the support has been strong ever since with the association members all bowling during one Bowl for Kids’ Sake shift. Some years, there have been as many as 34 GKAR teams.

“We make a big splash within our association and always try to fill the lanes with 36 teams,” says Angela McMillan, who coordinates the association’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake involvement along with a committee of association members.

McMillan would like all GKAR members to participate in Bowl for Kids’ Sake. “This event offers immediate benefits to the participant: fellowship with your teammates and other community members as well as fun and prizes,” she says. “Then, the money raised from this event offers long term benefits to the community and to the children who are matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister.”

For those who have not participated in Bowl for Kids’ Sake in the past, McMillan asks: “Do you like to have fun? Do you like the opportunity to win prizes? Would you be willing to raise $60 for a local organization dedicated to ensuring local children want to stay in school, enjoy learning and have a better chance to succeed, all while building their self-confidence and setting positive goals for their future? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to be a part of Bowl for Kids’ Sake!” McMillan says. “It’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s proven that what BBBS does, works.

“Where else can you make this kind of impact by simply donating two hours of your time to bowl?”