Helping Services Mentoring Bowl-A-Thon reaches goal

Helping Services for Northeast Iowa is proud to announce the results of its Mentoring Bowl-a-thon held March 22 at Oneota Lanes in Decorah. Approximately 80 bowlers consisting of 22 teams participated in the event to benefit mentoring programs in Allamakee, Howard and Winneshiek counties. Bowlers consisted of youth and adults from Calmar, Clermont, Cresco, Decorah, Ossian, Ridgeway and Waukon.
Mentoring program enthusiasts set a goal to raise $13,000 in donations to support the mentoring mission: providing positive adult role-models for youth ages five to 16. Teams and individuals bowlers worked hard to raise funds and exceeded that goal, raising a total of $17,000.
Sponsors for the event included an anonymous donation of $5,000. Additional $500 donations came from C US Bank, the Contributions Committee from Gemini, Inc, and the Winneshiek County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Elliott Jewelers and Randy’s Carquest contributed $300 each for the event.
Area businesses contributing $100 included Bank of the West, Benjegerdes Machine, Inc., CIA Insurance, Decorah Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc., Decorah Physical Therapy and Rehab Center, Don’s Sales & Service, Edward Jones Investments, Gosch’s, JB Holland, NAPA Auto Parts of Decorah, Nordic Chiropractic, Northeast Security Bank, Spahn and Rose Lumber Company, and Waukon Feed Ranch.
Several businesses and organizations donated food for the light meal served to thank each bowler. Meat for sloppy joes was donated by Fareway of Decorah. Buns, chips and bottled water was donated by an anonymous donor. Sliced apples were donated and prepared by the Winneshiek County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Desserts were provided by friends of the mentoring programs.
Andrea Springmeier, a mentor of an area youth shared at the Bowl-a-thon, “Mentoring is about being a friend to a youth. I make a difference in a youth’s life and I feel great because I do this program!”
Mentoring programs in Allamakee, Howard, and Winneshiek counties offer an adult mentor who spends four to five hours of month with a youth ages five to 16.  Currently, 43 youth are being served, with nine waiting for a mentor.
For more information on how to become part of the mentoring program at Helping Services, contact Kathy Schwartzhoff or Marilyn Zweibahmer at (563) 387-1720, mentoring@helpingservices.org, or on-line at www.helpingservices.org/mentoring.
Helping Services for Northeast Iowa is a not-for-profit agency that promotes the health and well-being of children and adults living within its service area. The agency focuses resources on substance abuse, child abuse, domestic violence and sexual abuse prevention through staff providing presentations, research-based programs, mentoring coordination, trainings and advocacy. Helping Services works with community members to help create environments that are safe, nurturing and healthy.