USBC, Baton Rouge Mayor host charity event at Raising Cane's River Center
April 13, 2017
BATON ROUGE, La. - The impact of the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships on the Baton Rouge economy will be consistent over the next four months, but a special charity event Saturday at the Raising Cane's River Center will help make an immediate difference for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.
The 44-lane tournament venue, fully constructed and waiting for the first of more than 17,000 USBC Women's Championships competitors, played host to the 2017 Mayor's Celebrity Bowling Challenge to Strike Out Hunger, which helped raise more than $35,000 for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank through lane sponsorship, strike tickets, raffle tickets and general donations.
The money now can be used to help serve more than 140,000 meals locally. Each dollar raised is enough to provide four meals.
The event featured 44 teams, each consisting of four bowlers and a celebrity fifth member. The teams paid $300 to be part of the event and had the chance to buy up to six strikes to use for their celebrity teammates.
Competitors bowled three games, with the celebrities moving to a different pair of lanes for each game, giving them a chance to meet six different teams of local bowlers, sponsors and supporters.
The list of special guests included Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, local radio and TV personalities, mayors from neighboring areas, government officials, Louisiana State University dignitaries, athletic coaches and former standout athletes and more.
USBC teamed with then-Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank for a similar event in 2012 when the USBC Open Championships visited the River Center.
The 2012 Mayor's Celebrity Bowling Challenge to Strike Out Hunger more than $30,000, so holding the event again in 2017 was an easy decision.
"The lanes and the venue were great, and that was mentioned by many of the participants, sponsors and celebrity guests," said Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Manning. "I don't know how to put into words what this means for the community here. It was a tremendous event and a great example of what a positive impact the tournament and bowlers will have here, before they've even arrived."
USBC locally purchased much of the material needed to transform the empty convention center into a state-of-the-art bowling facility this year.
USBC also tries to work with local charities such as Habitat for Humanity or the Red Cross, so all salvageable materials at the conclusion of an event can be donated and reused in the host community.
That was the case after both the 2005 and 2012 Open Championships at the River Center.
The 2017 Women's Championships will run for 79 days, from April 23 until July 10, and the facility also will welcome the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Bowling Championship, Intercollegiate Singles and Intercollegiate Team Championships and the USBC Queens.
The opportunity to experience the championship atmosphere at the River Center also was extended to the area's youth bowlers, as the custom venue welcomed the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Bowling State Championship on Friday and an invitational bowling event for the Louisiana Youth USBC earlier Saturday.
"Baton Rouge has been an amazing host to USBC and its membership over the years, and we're proud to be able to share our venue with Louisiana's incredible bowling community, especially for a great cause like the Mayor's charity event," USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. "From the recent youth events and the upcoming collegiate events and Women's Championships, it's special to be able to offer the championship experience to so many different bowlers at different levels. It's a great way to give the future of our sport something to work toward."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Women's Championships page.
The 44-lane tournament venue, fully constructed and waiting for the first of more than 17,000 USBC Women's Championships competitors, played host to the 2017 Mayor's Celebrity Bowling Challenge to Strike Out Hunger, which helped raise more than $35,000 for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank through lane sponsorship, strike tickets, raffle tickets and general donations.
The money now can be used to help serve more than 140,000 meals locally. Each dollar raised is enough to provide four meals.
The event featured 44 teams, each consisting of four bowlers and a celebrity fifth member. The teams paid $300 to be part of the event and had the chance to buy up to six strikes to use for their celebrity teammates.
Competitors bowled three games, with the celebrities moving to a different pair of lanes for each game, giving them a chance to meet six different teams of local bowlers, sponsors and supporters.
The list of special guests included Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, local radio and TV personalities, mayors from neighboring areas, government officials, Louisiana State University dignitaries, athletic coaches and former standout athletes and more. USBC teamed with then-Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank for a similar event in 2012 when the USBC Open Championships visited the River Center.
The 2012 Mayor's Celebrity Bowling Challenge to Strike Out Hunger more than $30,000, so holding the event again in 2017 was an easy decision.
"The lanes and the venue were great, and that was mentioned by many of the participants, sponsors and celebrity guests," said Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Manning. "I don't know how to put into words what this means for the community here. It was a tremendous event and a great example of what a positive impact the tournament and bowlers will have here, before they've even arrived."
USBC locally purchased much of the material needed to transform the empty convention center into a state-of-the-art bowling facility this year.
USBC also tries to work with local charities such as Habitat for Humanity or the Red Cross, so all salvageable materials at the conclusion of an event can be donated and reused in the host community.
That was the case after both the 2005 and 2012 Open Championships at the River Center.
The 2017 Women's Championships will run for 79 days, from April 23 until July 10, and the facility also will welcome the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Bowling Championship, Intercollegiate Singles and Intercollegiate Team Championships and the USBC Queens.
The opportunity to experience the championship atmosphere at the River Center also was extended to the area's youth bowlers, as the custom venue welcomed the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Bowling State Championship on Friday and an invitational bowling event for the Louisiana Youth USBC earlier Saturday.
"Baton Rouge has been an amazing host to USBC and its membership over the years, and we're proud to be able to share our venue with Louisiana's incredible bowling community, especially for a great cause like the Mayor's charity event," USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. "From the recent youth events and the upcoming collegiate events and Women's Championships, it's special to be able to offer the championship experience to so many different bowlers at different levels. It's a great way to give the future of our sport something to work toward."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Women's Championships page.