Carpentersville police to hold Bowl-a-Thon fundraiser for Special Olympic
In the charity fundraising business, diversity is the key to being successful.
Law enforcement agencies in Illinois have found that key and are turning it to successfully raise money for Special Olympics.
With it, they have put together bowling games, corn roasts and plane pulls to put the state on the map as being the third-most successful fundraising engines for physically and mentally disabled residents.
"Last year, we raised $4 million for the Special Olympics Torch Run, making Illinois the third most successful (agency) in the country," said Carpentersville police office Joe Pilarski. "Minnesota was first and Florida was second. Florida starts out with a $1 million donations, though."
To keep up the momentum of his department's grass-roots fundraising campaign, Pilarski, his colleagues, and a handful of local businesses will host a Bowl-A-Thon at 6 p.m., Saturday, May 13, at Liberty Lanes, along Besinger Drive in Carpentersville.
Each two team will donate $60 and play three scotch double games. Sixty dollars does not seem like much, but add a couple dozen teams and the money adds up, he said. Last year, the same event raised more than $6,000.
"Bowling is a popular event. Why reinvent the wheel?" Pilarski said. "People come out, bowl some games, meet celebrities, and take part in a 50/50 raffle."
On May 19, Carpentersville police and their counterparts in East Dundee and Sleepy Hollow will again be at it when they sit on the roofs of area Dunkin' Donuts restaurants. Spectators on the ground will pledge money and encourage officers to stay on the buildings as long as they can.
Pilarski knows these events are gimmicks, but they will, hopefully, allow him to raise $20,000 this year for the Special Olympics Torch Run. From June 4-9, police officers and the civilians will take part in the run and carry a torch from all corners of Illinois to the Illinois State University campus in the Bloomington/Normal area.
When they reach the campus, the summer games will begin.
Money the police departments raise, not only pays to train the athletes, but provides support and programs all year to families with special needs members, he said.
"When couples hear they will have a child with Down syndrome, they don't know where to turn for the help they'll need. All these funds provide this help," he said.
Fundraising is a year-round project, said Sandy Nash, Special Olympics director of development for the Torch Run. Polar Plunges in the winter, plane pulls in the fall and trailer tractor truck convoys in the summer pique spectators' interest to watch and donate.
During a plane pull, teams of 20 people donate money and compete with each other to pull an 180,000-pound aircraft 20 feet. The first team to pull it across the finish line, wins.
"We raised $140,000 last year with our three plane pulls," Nash said. "It's becoming one of our most popular events, next to the Polar Plunges."
Tens of thousands of people donate hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to jump in lakes for the mantle of making an icy sacrifice for Special Olympics.
Pilarski admits that courage is not needed for his Bowl-A-Thon. He'll settle for fun-seeking people who can roll a ball down a lane.
For details about the Bowl-A-Thon, call him at (224) 293-1700.
For information about other Special Olympics fundraising events, view the agency's internet site at www.soill.org/.