The golf tournament is named for former educator, Charles Bowen.  Mr. Bowen came to Dalton in the early 1940’s and served as principal at Fort Hill School.  He was then Principal of Dalton High School for 22 years and Superintendent of Dalton Public Schools for six years.  Mr. Bowen had a long history of serving the children of our community.  He served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters over 40 years.  He was truly a pioneer in this community and we feel fortunate to have had him serve on our board and honored to have our tournament named for him.  He was passionate about the future of the children of our community and felt strongly about our programs and the impact they have on the lives of children.

In 2016, Big Brothers Big Sisters served over 400 matches through our community and site based programs in  Dalton, Murray,  Gordon, and Whitfield Counties.  Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully matches at-risk youths with caring, adult role models. Research proves that children enrolled in Big Brothers Big Sisters programs are more likely to improve in school and in their relationships with

family and friends, and less likely to skip school or use illegal drugs or alcohol.

Big Brothers Big Sisters knows that children that avoid interactions with the juvenile justice system – and violence, drugs, and alcohol are more likely to succeed and make their communities stronger and more vibrant. That's why our professional staff members,

supporters, families, and advocates support, encourage and champion the relationships between Bigs and Littles. Bigs help teach their Littles right from wrong and help them make good decisions.

When comparing those children matched with a mentor to those waiting to be served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, the researchers found that:

• Littles were 46 percent less likely to initiate drug use.
• Littles were 27 percent less likely to initiate alcohol use.
• Littles were almost one-third less likely to hit someone.

Your support will help us reach out to more children by providing healthy relationships through volunteer adult friendships, professionally supervising these friendships, and offering additional education and support services in our area.