Bowl for the Cure is a nationwide bowling fundraiser that champions breast cancer survivors, promotes breast cancer awareness and raises funds to support Komen’s work to end breast cancer. In Wisconsin, Jody Stolarczyk leads that effort. Since 2022, she has organized a Bowl for the Cure event that has raised nearly $70,000 and brought bowlers together to support the fight to end breast cancer.
A Lifelong Love of Bowling
Bowling has always been more than a hobby for Jody.
“It’s always been a part of my family,” she said. “My mom worked at the bowling center, and my sister and I grew up in the bowling alley.”
Jody bowled in tournaments and local leagues. After joining the board of directors for the Greater Ozaukee-Washington Bowling Association (GROWBA) – her local chapter of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) – she felt called to give back to the community that helped shape her life.
Bringing Bowl for the Cure to Wisconsin
Because she was familiar with the USBC’s Bowl for the Cure partnership with Komen – and had close ties to teammates impacted by breast cancer – she chose to organize a Bowl for the Cure fundraiser.
“Planning an event like this isn’t something I would normally do, but I wanted to challenge myself to help raise money for women in the community fighting breast cancer,” Jody said.
Since the inaugural Bowl for the Cure event in 2022, GROWBA has raised nearly $70,000. Each year, the number of participants has continued to grow.
“We started off with 12 lanes of bowlers,” Jody said. “Now, we run 24 lanes of bowling in two shifts. Seeing the excited faces of our participants who come back every year and being able to present a check to Komen is very rewarding.”
Getting Creative and Building Support
Each year, Jody and the event committee start planning the event by reaching out to local businesses for sponsorships. Opportunities include corporate sponsor, team sponsor or a lane sponsor during the event.
“I keep sponsorship and donation request forms in a folder in my car,” Jody said. “When I go to the bank, go out to eat, go to the dentist and so on, I’ll take a form as ask them to donate. I was tentative about doing that in the beginning, but I feel more confident asking for donations for Bowl for the Cure because I know the money is going toward a good cause.”
In addition to sponsorships and donations, the event also includes a bake sale, raffle and live auction. The committee is also open to trying new ideas.
“We tried running a silent auction before, but it didn’t really work well at our event,” Jody said. “We added bowling brackets this year, and we also purchased prizes that we awarded to anyone who bowled a 300 game or 900 series.”
More Than a Bowling Fundraiser
What started as a love of bowling has grown into something much bigger – an event that brings people together year after year, united by their shared love of the sport and desire to help support the fight to end breast cancer.
“It’s a lot of time and effort to run the fundraiser each year, but I get fulfillment from seeing the faces of people at the event and feeling their excitement,” Jody said. “It’s so rewarding to be a part of this community.”
About Bowl for the Cure
Bowl for the Cure is a year-round fundraising initiative sponsored by the USBC that helps raise awareness of breast cancer through bowling. Since 2000, the program has raised more than $14.5 million for Komen. In addition to bowling events like Jody’s GROWBA fundraiser, Bowl for the Cure also offers a line of branded merchandise, with 25% of sales benefiting Komen.
Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their healthcare provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
