The rolling thunder of bowling balls echoed throughout the Chaparral Lanes in San Dimas, 14 lanes were lined with red and green balloons, a sign on the far wall read, “So you think I can’t bowl?” and a sea of women in green shirts with red Greek letters across their chests were ready to bowl to fund-raise for Cystic Fibrosis.
Between the hours of 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday evening the University of La Verne’s Iota Delta Sorority held its 18th annual Bowl for Breath for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
More than 250 ULV students, Iota Delta sisters and their parents, and supporting groups and organizations came to the event to bowl and enjoy each other’s company for a good cause.
The event had one of its best turnouts ever due to the slight changes Iota Delta made.
“In the past people would have had to pay for their bowling shoes but this year Iota Delta decided to pay for everything with the hope that people would donate more to the cause,” said Elizabeth Canales, president of Iota Delta.
Along with that change, Iota Delta’s Philanthropy Chair Bernadette Barajas brain-stormed all summer on how to make the event a greater success.
Barajas decided to challenge the women of Iota Delta to really bowl for a purpose.
Barajas asked all the women of the sorority to find a sponsor, and almost all did.
Whether they made donations or participated in the bowl-a-thon receiving 10 cents for every pin they knocked down the Iota Delta women were determined to make this a highly successful event.
“This year we advertised a lot better and made the event more of a collaborated effort with other groups and organizations,” Canales said.
The event was co-sponsored by Associated Students of the University of La Verne who purchased five lanes and the Office of Student Life who purchased two lanes for the Iota Delta bowl-a-thon.
“We got others involved by having groups buy a lane for $65 and that included bowling from 5:30 to 9 p.m., with bowling shoes and they could decorate the lane if they wanted to,” Barajas said.
The six groups and organizations that decided to buy a lane were, Athletic Training Student Club, International Student Organization, Latino Student Forum, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, an off-campus fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha from Cal Poly Pomona, Society of Physical and Life Science Scholars and United Hermanos.
“I think it’s a good cause and good that so many different groups are getting involved, our professor Marilyn Oliver bought the athletic training students a lane and we thought it was important to support the cause especially if we got to in such a fun way,” Danny Bonilla, a senior athletic training major, said.
Cystic Fibrosis, one of the most common fatal inherited diseases which affects the entire body, is one in which they have not found a cure for.
All the fund-raising efforts will be given to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Morgan Dobis can be reached at m.dobis15@yahoo.com.
Journalism operations manager at the University of La Verne. Production manager and business manager of the Campus Times.