Help strike it rich for Elgin High student

Bowling a turkey or scoring a perfect game earns top bragging rights among your friends, but on Friday your 10-pin bowling skills will be worth much more to an Elgin High School senior.

The Wisdom Family Foundation, an Elgin-based group that seeks to assist in the growth and well-being of local children and families, is hosting a bowling fundraiser for Natalie Chastain.

Chastain, who is confined to a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy and recently lost her mother unexpectedly, aspires to attend college to become an architect. To get there, she needs financial help to purchase a computer that she uses to speak, pay tuition and purchase a new van equipped to meet her needs.

The fundraiser will start at 6:30 p.m. at Elgin Lanes, 401 Shepard Drive. Raffle ticket sales will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and a cash bar and pizza will also be available.

Donations of $40 or more for adults and $10 for children are requested, which includes two games of bowling and pizza.

All donations go to the Natalie Chastain Foundation at Elgin High School. In addition, the Wisdom Family Foundation will donate $10 for every strike bowled on Friday night.

“Natalie is an inspiration for all of us,” said Michelle Jareczek, board member of the Wisdom Foundation. “She is dedicated, hard working and intelligent. She is a wonderful kid and she needs our help.”

Chastain first attracted the community's attention when her specialized wheelchair was stolen from the driveway of her family's Elgin home.

The chair was returned, but not before a local business offered to donate a wheelchair customized to fit Chastain's needs.

To donate to the Natalie Chastain Foundation, send a check payable to Elgin High School, Attention: Sally Staak, 1200 Maroon Drive, Elgin, 60120. Include “Natalie Chastain” on the memo line.