The numbers were called out and hit the audience hard like bowling balls smacking pins — 240 teams registered with 1,200 bowlers, and a whopping $91,390 raised.
Those were the results announced Friday at John J. Sullivan’s on Wakelee Avenue, where Birmingham Group Health Services held its 22nd Annual Bowl-2-Benefit Awards Reception.
The reception was a way to say “thank you” to the sponsors and people that made this year’s bowl-a-thon, held last month at AMF Lanes in Milford, a success.
Click the video to watch highlights from last month’s event.
The money raised goes to the Umbrella program and Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven. Both programs provide assistance to victims of domestic violence.
Arlene Greco, development director at Birmingham Group Health Services, said that the amount raised in 2010 has tripled since 2001.
“Without volunteers this event wouldn’t even have happen,” Greco said. “There are so many volunteers involved to make this happen.”
Greco said 43 people volunteered to help organize the bowling fundraiser to help end domestic violence.
She recognized the co-chairs for the event from the Umbrella program — Gloria Hollo, Al Patuzzi and Melissa Pucci — and co-chairs from Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven — Donna Violante and Penny Yellen.
Greco choked back tears after Beverly Kamaitis, credit manager for W.E. Bassett Co., read a letter from a elderly woman who returned to the Valley after being assaulted by her husband in the Midwest.
Kamaitis praised how the Umbrella program helped the woman regain her life.
“The Umbrella program, counselors, peer support and legal resources helped this woman,” Kamaitis said. “This woman believes she would have been hospitalized without help.”
The overall top fundraising individual recognized for securing the largest donation was Chris Noonan, from Shelton Intermediate School who raised $3,050.
