Cariboo Bowling Lanes in Williams Lake is teaming up with Variety BC children’s charity to offer a two-month long fundraiser at the local bowling alley.
The campaign, Variety BC Bowls for Kids, which started at the beginning of December and runs until the end of January, also partners with Bowl BC and Youth Bowling Canada to bring the event to bowling alleys across BC.
Cariboo Bowling Lanes is encouraging leagues, teams and individuals to collect pledges and bowl for Variety. This year marks the 27th anniversary of the campaign, which has raised $3 million for children who have special needs.
Brothers Oliver and Elliott Fallowfield of Burnaby are this year’s poster boys for Variety BC Bowls For Kids. In 2012 Variety distributed grants to more than 1,300 families and 50 organizations for things like emergency transportation costs to out-of-community hospitals that help give children who have special needs the same chances in life as other children.
Oliver, 6, developed muscular dystrophy when he was 18 months old.
The disease affects his hands, feet, arms and legs. His core is off balance and he walks with an awkward gait. Oliver’s younger brother, Elliott, 4, was also diagnosed with disease.
The boys’ parents, Jennifer and Mike Fallowfield, reached out to Variety, who paid for Oliver and Elliott’s physiotherapy, leg splints, hand splints and orthotics.
To help with physiotherapy the boys took up bowling.
“Oliver and Elliott love bowling,” Jennifer said. “The exercise is really good for them because it’s not too strenuous. And Oliver is over-the-moon to be the BC Bowls kids with his brother, Elliott. He says ‘I have this bad condition but I can help people, too!’”
If you, your business or community group would like to put a team together for Bowl for Kids contact Carlene Field, event co-ordinator with Variety BC by e-mail at Carlene.Field@variety.bc.ca, or by phone at 604-320-0505.