Schenectady, N.Y. – May 20,
1999 – “With much pride, they show me the red or blue ribbon they won at the
Union Big Brothers/Big Sisters Youth Olympics. This may be the only thing
hanging on their wall. What a special self-esteem builder this is!” says
Stephanie Wolos, case manager and coordinator of Big Brothers/Big Sisters
events for Union College. The children, all of which are from single-parent
homes and most of which haven't the usual opportunities for sports
participation, will be enjoying themselves at the 7th Annual Youth Olympics again this Sunday, May 23, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at
Union College's football field.
This year, from 100 – 150 children, ages 7–14, are expected to participate in the field day, coordinated this year by
senior, Jamie Drown. The students are well-supervised, as each student is
paired one-on-one with a student at Union College. The activities planned are
field events such as an egg walk, relay races, water games, tie dying, and a
barbecue. Each participant is given a T-shirt and everybody wins a ribbon to
take home.
The Youth Olympics was founded seven years ago by Lee Popper '94 who had the
original idea for a field day for children, and the event was such a success,
it has continued each year since.
The Big Brothers/Big Sisters program provides friendship, individual attention and
recreational activities. Typically, Union Bigs take their Littles on hikes, to
see movies, to spend time on campus playing sports, doing homework together in
the library or just relaxing in the dorm. The program is alive and well at
Union with one-third to one-half of the Big Brothers in the Schenectady program
coming from the Union student body. The children who are paired with the Union
students benefit by doing better in school, getting along better with their
families and being less likely to use alcohol and drugs.
For more information on this event, contact Jamie Drown at 388-5609. Or to find out
more about Big Brothers/Big Sisters at Union, call Stephanie Wolos at 388-6228.