On Sunday, June 12th, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) hosted their Annual Summer Picnic at Heckscher State Park. This year’s event was sponsored by Principal Payments and was attended by more than 200 Bigs, Littles and their families. Each year the summer picnic provides a fun-filled day of food, music, games, art and other activities.
“We had a great day yesterday for the picnic and a great turnout. It is so important that we get a chance to bring everyone together to get to know each other”, said Nancy Travers, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island Director of Services. She added, “Seeing new friendships forged between Bigs, Littles and families made the day even better”.
DJ Joe played music and games throughout the day while Bigs and Littles took to the field playing softball, dancing and jumping in the inflatables. Inside the pavilion, others took fun pictures with props in the photo booth, did arts & crafts and created hand print murals which will be displayed in the Levittown and Islandia offices.
As Bigs & Littles arrived, they all received BBBSLI T-shirts. Giveaways also included new books from the book fair table and a variety of gently used sporting equipment provided by Play It Forward. Thanks to a donation from BCNY/Synclaire Brands, Littles and their siblings were also invited to choose from a large selection of brand new designer shoes to take home. The pavilion was filled with excitement as our raffle winners were announced sending many Littles home with wonderful prizes. The fun-filled afternoon concluded with dessert, snow cones, cotton candy and tons of big smiles.
In addition to thanking presenting sponsor Principal Payments, BBBSLI wants to express a special thank you to the volunteers from National Charity League Inc. who assisted BBBSLI staff members throughout the day in running the event. Additionally, we would like to thank the local establishments that donated prizes to the raffles, including Tiger Martial Arts, Laser Bounce, Huntington Learning Center, and Dave & Busters as well as our drink and snack sponsors including Snapple, NBTY and UTZ Snacks.