Bowl for Kids Sake committee Kelly Backmeyer, front row from left, Jerri Posey and Bella Nickerson, Evangeline “Evan” Nickerson, backrow from left, Tyler Nickerson, Jeff Zike, Danielle Nickerson, Karina Willats and Thomas Hobbs during Bowl for Kids Sake a Foundation for Youth fundraising event for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Bartholomew County hosted by Columbus Bowling Center, Columbus, Ind., Saturday, March 2, 2024.
A Northside Middle School eighth-grader used her creativity and initiative to raise thousands of dollars for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Bella Nickerson, 14, wanted to come up with new ways to raise money for Bowl For Kids Sake, an annual fundraiser organized by Foundation for Youth that helps support BBBS mentoring programs.
Bella is involved in the global studies pathway at Northside, which requires students to do 10 hours of community service. But she didn’t want to just check the requirement off the list, her mom Danielle said.
“She kind of came to us and said, ‘I don’t want to do that, I want to get more people involved in school for (Bowl for) Kids Sake,’ and she’s really kind of taken ownership of her passion around helping her peers.”
Bella said Bowl for Kids Sake had been “mostly adults bowling and raising money,” but now it’s starting to feature more and more kids themselves — “… kids helping kids is a good thing.”
She came up with a couple of ideas for fundraising and emailed BCSC Superintendent Jim Roberts and Director of Elementary Instruction Laura Hack to figure out how she could put those ideas into practice.
While emailing administrators is a bit “scary,” Bella said, she heard back that she should email each elementary principal with her idea, which she did.
She wanted to organize a “hat day” for students and a “jeans day” for teachers on March 1 where both groups could donate a small amount in order to wear more casual clothing. Seven BCSC elementary schools ended up participating, Bella said.
“I know that teachers really like to dress casual,” Bella said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, if they could wear jeans again one week, then that would get them to help raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters.’”
Her science teacher Mrs. Lanam doubled-up on her support for the fundraiser, wearing a hat and jeans. Lanam told Bella her project was “the best project she’s seen (in) all of her years of teaching.”
Nickerson also organized a “penny war” at Southside Elementary School, and did so with a lot of support from Principal Jeff Backmeyer, she said.
Backmeyer said he was “incredibly impressed” with the work Bella did, calling her commitment to making a positive impact in the community “inspiring.”
“Bella’s willingness to step up and make a difference demonstrates not only her compassion and empathy but also her leadership skills,” Backmeyer said. “I believe her efforts serve as a wonderful example for young people everywhere, showing that age is no barrier to making a difference and that even small actions can have a significant impact on the lives of others.”
Northside Principal Evan Burton was crucial as well, providing her reinforcement and making her feel as though he is truly invested in her success.
Burton called Bella “a great communicator and planner” and said he could foresee that taking on such a leadership role will “catapult her into more and more philanthropic opportunities.” He also pointed out how, as a peer leader at Northside, she “actively looks for ways to be an example for her classmates.”
Funds from “hat day” and “jeans day” are still rolling in and being tabulated.
For students, Bella knew from her experience that “hat day” would be a success. She said at Northside sometimes students will try to wear hoods, obscuring their hats before being told it’s against the dress code.
Bella designed posters, collected and labeled milk jugs, and ironed out the logistics for the “penny war.” Nickerson had expected it to raise around $3,000, but they ended up raising $5,427. Classrooms at Southside had milk jugs that students dropped their donations into. The classroom that raised the most over the course of the week would have a pizza party, courtesy of Bella. Most students donated pennies, nickels, and dimes but there were also $100 bills in there for good measure. Fifth-grade teacher Erika Kahlenbeck’s class was victorious during the four-day contest, raising $688.
Bowl for Kids Sake took place on March 2 and March 3 at the Columbus Bowling Center and the goal was to raise $100,000. Money is raised through individuals and teams, and a leader board is kept to keep track of everyone’s progress.
With the help of the “penny war,” the Southside Mustangs topped the team leaderboard. Bella also competed as an individual, raising $1,134. She organized a team as well – “Bellas Ballers” – made up of her 4 year-old sister Evangeline who helped sell raffle tickets and family friends Jackson Sweany and Haley Diebolt. As a squad, they put together $1,415. All told, Bella has raised $7,500 thus far and counting.
The most fun part for her was “communicating with people I don’t normally talk to,” Bella said.
People can check out the leader board and continue to donate: at https://foundationforyouth.salsalabs.org/bfks24/index.html.
Danielle said the work her daughter did with fundraising is indicative of the person she is becoming.
“If you met Bella three years ago, she was very quiet, didn’t want to get out of her comfort zone, didn’t want to talk to people, kind of student. And now, she’s offering to go talk to groups (and) be standing in front of the entire St. Peter’s student population and talking about Bowl for Kids Sake, so it’s just an indescribable feeling.”
