Sparing no effort to help
Published 12:01 am Monday, March 21, 2011
EVERETT — They bowled for fun; they bowled for a purpose.
The Strikes for Sherwood bowl-a-thon at Evergreen Lanes on Sunday attracted 26 teams who participated in the annual fundraiser for Sherwood Community Services.
The Lake Stevens-based nonprofit organization helps Snohomish Count
y children and adults with disabilities, whether developmental or the result of injuries.
Sherwood serves an average of more than 500 clients a year, said associate director and occupational therapist Pattie Urie. While the community services center receives state funding, Sherwood is dependent on its three annual fundraising events, as well as help from United Way, to pay for the services it offers.
“The bowl-a-thon, our auction and our outdoor dinner at Swan’s Trail Farm all help us meet our goals and meet the needs of our clients,” Urie said.
One of those clients is Urie’s 23-year-old daughter, Brittany, who has cerebral palsy and Down syndrome.
With the help of Sherwood’s technology and speech therapy programs, Brittany Urie has learned to use an iPod Touch computer and speaker attached to her wheelchair. Ask Brittany a question and she touches a symbol on her iPod to answer.
“Did you have fun bowling today, Brittany?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod.
“Cool,” said the computer for Brittany after she touched the right symbols. Brittany smiled.
Sherwood Community Services volunteer Jodee Masgula, 31, of Snohomish, took bowl-a-thon photos, which will be posted on the organization’s website.
“My mother was a caretaker for folks with disabilities,” Masgula said. “It’s very fulfilling to help out. It touches my heart.”
About half the teams bowling Sunday were made up of Boeing employees. Among them was Arlington resident Dale Mauldin, who also serves on the Sherwood board of directors.
Most bowlers contributed about $50 each for the fundraiser, but one fellow Boeing employee raised more than $1,000 for Sherwood Community Services, Mauldin said.
“We’re passionate about helping out. Sherwood is a wonderful community-based agency,” Mauldin said. “And, hey, bowling is fun.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
Sherwood fundraisers
For more information about Sherwood Community Services or the Dinner in the Field fundraiser in July or the annual auction in October, call 425-334-4071 or go to www.sherwoodcs.org.
