People from all over the community laced up their bowling shoes Saturday and hoped for a strike at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser at Petro Bowl.

“We’ve been holding this event for 29 years, and it’s our major fundraiser each year. This really helps support our programs that match youth in the community with qualified and caring mentors,” said Dana Forrest, the group’s executive director.

“We raised $150,000 last year, and I believe we’re on track to at least match that amount. I just looked at the lanes and saw all of these people from the community that come year after year to support us, and it’s just very encouraging.”

Many of the bowlers were teams made up of employees of local businesses and industries — which Forrest said makes for some friendly competition, with teams from one bank, for example, trying to best those from other banks.

Some of the program’s participants such as Big Sister and Little Sister Dawn Primeaux and 7-year-old Paige Meyers were on hand to raise money for the program while getting to spend time with one another.

“My Little and I are making a day of it. We’re volunteering for a while; we’ll bowl and then we’re going to a crawfish boil,” Primeaux said. “We just like spending time together, shopping, dancing and going to the park. We just have fun.”

Meyers said she was thankful to the program for pairing her with a mentor who shared her interests. “I love horses, and we’ve taken horse-riding lessons together,” she said. “It’s been fun.”

(American Press Archives)

Brad Pucektt