All 40 Lanes Filled At Cypress Lanes For Inagural Humane Society Bowlarama
by James Coulter
All 40 bowling lanes at Cypress Lanes were sold out and filled for the first-ever Bowlarama fundraiser hosted by the Humane Society of Polk County on Sunday.
During the inaugural fundraiser, attendees could have the proceeds of their bowling game go directly towards benefiting the Humane Society of Polk County, one of the only no-kill animal shelters in Central Florida.
The event also allowed attendees to donate towards a good cause by purchasing tickets for various raffles and 50/50 drawings for prizes donated by local businesses and charities. They could also enjoy a complimentary buffet with food items including pizza, chicken wings, sub sandwiches, Italian-style meatballs, and cocktail hot dogs among many other appetizers.
Overall, for this being the very first event hosted at Cypress Lanes, Bowlarama drew in a full house with every single lane being completely sold out within the first hour, explained Lisa Baker, Humane Society Executive Director.
“It exceeded our expectations,” she said. “Our goal is to raise money for the animals and to get the community involved. This is a fun way for people to get involved who like to bowl, who just love animals, to come out and participate. This is another new way to do that.”
The Humane Society of Polk County recently opened their new fourth location along Dundee Road in Winter Haven, down the street from Cypress Lanes. Proceeds from this event will go towards covering its operating expenses. Approximately $1,500 a day goes towards operating the shelter, explained Beth Koon, Humane Society President.
The Humane Society regularly hosts many fundraising events throughout the year and within the county. So popular have these events proven that many people focus their schedules one them, Koon said.
“What we aim for is that we have many fundraisers throughout the community, and people actually set their calendars by our fundraisers, because we love to have fun and raise money for the animals,” she said.
Not only was this event their first bowling event, but also their first event not-specifically targeted towards adults, explained Tracey Greene, Past Humane Society President.
Greene herself participated that afternoon, not only as a member of the Humane Society, but also with her participating team from Today and Tonight Magazine, which helped promote the event.
“We are a big supporters of the humane society for our 16 years, and it is one of our favorite organizations to be a part of, and we are out here enjoying fellowship with others who love animals,” she said.
With people playing in every single lane, the inaugural Bowlarama more than exceeded initial expectations, setting the bar even higher for a bigger, better event next year, Greene explained.
“This is a great event for us, and we hope that more people will join us next year so we have a bigger turnout,” she said. “Even if you didn’t bowl, you can have something to enjoy the event and the food buffet.”
Humane Society of Polk County is located at 3195 Dundee Rd, Winter Haven, FL 33881. For more information, call 863-324-5227, or visit their website at: https://www.humanesocietyofpolkcounty.org/
