Although $1,000 might not seem like a lot of money for an organization, it goes a long way.

The money received from GD Water Street Tavern’s bachelor auction will help the organization tremendously, said Ron Kilchenman, associate director of Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Portage County.

“We weren’t expecting any particular amount,” Kilchenman said . “The money will be used to update the volunteer, parent and child handbooks. These books give details about the program and every child, parent and volunteer gets one when they join the program.”

Since their latest revision in February 2002, the three books contain information about the responsibilities and guidelines that the volunteer, child and parent are expected to follow.

In addition, the organization needs to make roughly 200 copies of each handbook, Kilchenman said.

To put in perspective how much it costs to produce mass quantities of the books, Kilchenman said the organization’s newsletters, which are distributed every two months, cost $600 per issue.

Although updating the handbooks may seem like a small achievement, Kilchenman said it will help eliminate some of the costs his organization endures.

Contact social service reporter Katie Alberti at [email protected].