Bigs & Littles had an opportunity to get a break from the cold weather at our 2012 January pool party. Bigs & Littles enjoyed the pool & hot tub as well as fruit and veggie tray delights. Thanks to Pat Reilly and the crew at the Holiday Inn of Manitowoc for donating the use of their pool and providing snacks.

We gathered at the BBBS office for a fun Friday evening in February. We kicked off the event with a quick movie character word search contest before settling in for the movie.  Everyone enjoyed munching on popcorn while watching Toy Story 3 on the new TV. “Movie Night” was a big hit as February’s Match Event.

Big Brothers Big Sisters hosted a game night on a cold Friday night in March. Bigs and Littles had a great time playing board games and Wii at the BBBS office. Our Thanks to Atomic Games for supplying us with some great games! Everyone had a great time and we suspect more events like this in the future.  

Our group of 26 headed to the Bradley Center on April 2 to watch the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 93-87 in overtime. It was the most exciting game that our crew from BBBS has wittnessed and everyone was excited about the Bucks victory! Our thanks to Senator Kohl for purchasing the tickets for our use!

It was a warm and sunny day in May. We had perfect weather to enjoy a baseball game. Along with watching the game, everyone enjoyed the other on-field and off-field activities, such as trying to catch a brat from the “Brat-zooka” and playing on the kid’s playground. Bigs and Littles had a great time at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton watching the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers beat the Burlington Bees. Thanks to everyone who attended the fun event.

It rained every day during the week leading up to our June Match Event but the rain stopped just in time and the sun shined all day long for our outing to Bay Beach and the N.E.W. Zoo. Our first stop was Bay Beach Amusement Park. Bigs, Littles, and parents enjoyed the thrills of the Scrambler, Tilt-a-whirl, Zippin Pippin, and the many other rides Bay Beach has to offer!  And if that wasn’t enough, our next stop brought us to the beautiful N.E.W. Zoo where we took in the amazing exhibits. There were so many beautiful animals to see! On the bus ride home, all was quiet as we were all exhausted from a long, but fun, day!

On Monday, July 11th, Silver Creek Fieldhouse served as our base camp for a picnic in the park.   Littles started out by keeping themselves, as well as adults, entertained with their hula hoop competition.  Their unlimited energy and skill were truly amazing!  A picnic lunch followed consisting of hot dogs, beans, and chips topped off with ice cold lemonade and cookies.  Then it was time for a hike winding through Silver Creek Park making our way down to the beach.  It was a sizzling summer day and the shimmering shore of Lake Michigan was a perfect resting spot for everyone to cool off as the evening came to a close.

    Northeastern Wisconsin Great Lakes Sport Fishermen’s (NEWGLSF) organization recently hosted their 33rd Annual Kids Fish Derby for Bigs and Littles in the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program. A total of 37 Bigs and Littles boarded 14 boats at 5:00 a.m. for a fishing adventure on Lake Michigan.
    Boat crews and guests were greeted with beautiful flat seas and clear skies. When boats started returning to Seagull Marina for weigh-in it was obvious that the salmon and trout were cooperative in providing some fast fishing action for Little Brothers and Little Sisters.
    A total of 88 fish weighing over 631 pounds had been caught during the morning fishing trip. The largest fish was a 26.92 pound King Salmon caught by Little Brother Isaiah Isaacson aboard the Anticipation II captained by Will Boness. The King Salmon was one of eight fish caught aboard the Anticipation II.
    Charter boat Seaduction Captained by Steve Zimmer and his First Mate Tim Harding brought in the overall largest catch of the day of 105.39 pounds of fish. The Seaduction catch included 10 King Salmon, one Rainbow Trout, and one Coho Salmon.
    After fish weigh-in shore lunch was provided for all participants and volunteers. Jane Bonfigt organized the shore lunch with help from Two Rivers Auto Wash, Mike Martell, and the Sandpiper Bar & Grill. All children participating in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Kids Fish Derby received prizes donated by the Northeastern Wisconsin Great Lakes Sport Fishermen’s organization (NEWGLSF) and Seagull Marina.  Trophies for the biggest fish and the biggest overall catch were donated by Manitowoc Trophy.
    The 14 Captains and boats volunteering to take Little Brothers and Little Sisters fishing on Lake Michigan included: Leon LeClair on the Whitecap, Don Bonfigt on the Don Ho II, Bruce & Jack Gilbert on the Dough Boy, Dan & Dave Abts on the Family Fun, Will Chase on the Renegade, Steve Bergner on the Rainbow Chaser, Steve Zimmer on the Seaduction, Craig Newby on the Seven C’s, Will Boness on the Anticipation II, Mr. & Mrs. Arnie Heimann on the Chilton Tiger, Don Daniels on the Double D, Gary Kerkman on the G Man, Jerry Nemecek on the J & J, and Doug Weisshahn on the Kari Anne.
    This is a great adventure for children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program that might never have a chance to experience the thrill of charter fishing on the great lakes. This experience also teaches children to respect and appreciate our great natural resources. It is our hope children who participate in the kids fish derby will get hooked on a great new hobby that will positively impact their lives and our environment in the future. Big Brothers Big Sisters and NEWGLSF extends a sincere “Thank You” to all the volunteers and Seagull Marina for making this great experience available to kids in the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program.

Bigs and Littles got to enjoy some time on horseback at Rising Star Stables for the Big Brothers Big Sisters September 2011 Match Event. Amy always puts out the welcome mat and Bigs and Littles can count on having a great time. In addition to the horseback riding, there are many other animals to visit at Rising Star Stables.

Holiday Inn hosted our 2011 BBBS Halloween Party, providing great Halloween treats including pizza, decorated cookies and soda. "Face the Music" provided great dance music for all to enjoy and took great photo of all the Bigs & Littes in their Halloween Costumes. All the little ghosts and goblins took home free pumpkins to decorate donated by John & Nancy Klingeisen. Students in the Lincoln High School Key Club offered a variety of different games to challenge skills of our little ghosts and goblins. Thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible.

_Big Brothers Big Sisters hosted a game night on a cold Friday night in November. Bigs and Littles had a great time playing board games and Wii at the BBBS office. Our Thanks to Atomic Games for supplying us with some great games! Everyone had a great time and we suspect more events like this in the future.

The annual 2011 Big and Little Holiday celebration was again hosted by Rudy's Lanes in Two Rivers. We had a great turnout of Bigs, Littles and their families. Bigs and Littles enjoyed bowling, frosting cookies, eating cookies, making Christmas tree ornaments, and had an opportunity to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Special thanks to Rudy's Lanes & Santa for helping make our Holiday Celebration a wonderful success. Also a special thanks to the Manitowoc Service League for sponsoring this event.