Bowlers help strike down breast cancer with fundraiser

Three years ago, the women of the Ladies Night Out bowling league decided to see how much their Monday night bowling league could collect for breast cancer research.

"There are so many people on our league that are affected by breast cancer," said Christi Slinkard, chairwoman for the Bowl for the Cure Tournament. Her grandmother was a breast cancer survivor.

They collected $400 by selling 50/50 raffle tickets on a few league nights and just kept going. They started hosting bowling tournaments -- a Crazy Bowl in the summer and the November Bowl for the Cure.

"They just keep growing and growing every year," Slinkard said.

This year, the tournament doubled to four shifts and had 56 teams of 5. The event raised about $6,000 in two Sundays.

"I was shocked," Slinkard said. "I didn't expect it to be that much."

The league's charity goal for the year was $8,000. Slinkard said after she deposits the proceeds from the tournament, it will have a balance of $8,556. The money in the account is donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

"It goes strictly to breast cancer research," Slinkard told the morning bowlers.

Volunteers from the Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority helped sell raffle and 50/50 tickets.

"I just love to do this event," said Missy Grey, a Gamma Sigma Sigma volunteer. "It touches me because my mom had breast cancer. So I like to get really involved."

Now the league has the bowling tournaments, Monday night 50/50 drawings, a collect for the cure where the members save their loose change on league nights to donate and a new Duck Race.

"I'm so excited about that," Slinkard said of the event she has been pushing for some time.

The Duck Race will be in March. People can sponsor a pink rubber ducky in a river race along Hubble Creek through Jackson City Park. The women will dump the duckies over the footbridge in the park and see which one is first to the low water bridge in another part of the park. This will be the first year for the rubber ducky race.

charris@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246