Crack, smack, whack. Wham, bam, slam. Over and over.
That was the sound of more than 1,250 people from the Valley and the Greater New Haven area bowling for charity Saturday afternoon at the Milford AMF Lanes, where probably more than $100,000 was being raised for The Umbrella and Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven.
It was the 22nd annual Bowl-2-Benefit and for most of the day and evening the packed-lanes were probably the noisiest place in Milford.
But generous too. Each bowler raised at least $50, including people from civic groups and the schools from Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and. Shelton.
“This is a great time with great purpose, to help the Birmingham Group,” said Shelton Alderman Anthony Simonetti. He slipped on a pair of rented bowling shoes — red and white with black laces — and played the best game he could, although he admitted he is no pro tour threat.
“I am an amateur and always will be and I wholeheartedly admit it. But Tom here, he is still pretty good,” Simonetti said of his buddy, fellow Shelton Republican Town Committee member Tom Minotti, who is also a member of Shelton’s Board of Education.
Minotti brought his own bowling shoes, a nice white pair, showing he was no stranger to the sport.
“It’s wonderful here, people really do come out,” said Minotti, wrapping his arm around Simonetti’s shoulder. They both wore purple shirts with the event logo.
The Bowl-2-Benefit is an annual fundraising event that supports Ansonia-based Birmingham Group Health Services’ The Umbrella domestic violence program, and now, Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven, known as DVS.
The Umbrella and DVS each provide emergency shelter, crisis counseling, a 24-hour hotline, court advocacy, safety planning, and other critical services to families in the Valley, Greater New Haven and the surrounding communities. Each year, The Umbrella and DVS provide crisis services for nearly 10,000 individuals.
Fundraising is an important part of the annual budget, said Arlene Greco, Director of Development for the Birmingham Group.
Greco spoke outside the bowling alley during a short break from her work helping to coordinate the event.
“We really need to do a lot of fundraising to give the services which are free for women, children and even men,” Greco said. She said the total organizational budget is $10 million a year.
“The community is a strong supporter of programs. The cities and towns support us,” Greco said.
The group negotiated a fee with the bowling alley so it could be closed to the public for the day and open only for the fundraiser. The big parking lot was packed, and there wasn’t a single of the two dozen or so lanes not being used. Lines of people waited their turn to roll a ball down an alley.
The turnout spelled success.
“That’s right, it’s a long day of bowling,” said Melissa Pucci, co-chairwoman of the event on The Umbrella said. “We’re very optimistic we’ve done really well because we have a good response from the Valley and the area.”
The event bought out a mixture of serious bowlers and some who appeared to be first-timers, including a few kids who were no taller than the back of a chair.
“Some are bowling teams who always do this every year,” said Penny Yellen, co-chairwoman of the event from the New Haven side. “Some are good friends of both organizations who just want to come and help.”
The scoreboards glowed red and the background music, including Bob Seger oldies from the 1970s like “Turn the Page,” blasted over loudspeakers.
Debbie Soulsby, Development Coordinator for the Birmingham Group, stepped back and watched the scene.
“We’re making sure everybody is happy and having fun,” Soulsby said.
