Teens dressed in costumes at the Bowl-a-Thon are, front, Delaney Adler, Lloyd Adler-Lombardi, Lois Johnson, Cora Lay, Sojia Ma, and Aaron Chason; and back, Ryan Mihealsick, Adam Bejnod, and Ross Landenberger. (Submitted photo)
The lights went out, the pins lit up, lasers beamed around the room, and the music started. It was Cosmic Bowling, one of most innovative ways to have fun in the entertainment galaxy. That was the atmosphere on a recent Wednesday afternoon at the Oak Ridge Bowling Center, where about 30 teens held a Bowl-a-Thon to raise money for the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge.
Oak Ridge Bowling Center owner Len Hart provided the use of the facility, the games, and shoes without cost for the fundraiser.
“I think it’s great that the kids organized this event to raise money for FMCOR,” Hart said. “I’ve been here all my life, I know the need and think that the community needs to be more involved in supporting what they do to help people.”
FMCOR provides primary health and wellness services without cost to those who live in Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties who do not have health insurance or access to medical care due to their income level.
Student Council advisers Diana Homan and Heather Haynes were on hand at the event to make sure that there were plenty of fun things available to reward the participants for their efforts to raise money for the clinic. Included in the afternoon were costume contests, candy treats for every rolled strike, and two iTunes gift cards for raffle prizes that were provided by an anonymous donor. Teens raised $688 through their entry fees, raffles, and pledges for pins.
While the afternoon was focused on having fun, the teens were serious about why they were holding the fundraiser. One teen was quoted as saying: “I think that it is important to raise money for the clinic so that they can help people without insurance to get medical care. It feels really good to be able to help.”
The idea for the fundraisers began two years ago when Student Council advisers began planning the event with FMCOR board member Michael McCutcheon.
“There is a large component of our work in Student Council that involves altruism, and the interest of our students in the field of medicine coincided with this event,” said Karla Mullins, an adviser to the group at that time.
FMCOR is located in the Trinity Center, just west of Willow Brook Elementary School at 320 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. Appointments can be made by calling (865) 483-3904 Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
If you would like to help support FMCOR, you can mail your tax-deductible gift to: Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, 320 Robertsville Rd., Ste. 1, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. If you prefer, you can donate on-line at www.fmcor.org and click the donation tab.
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