Published on March 05, 2017
Eastern Connecticut State University hosted its annual Bowlathon on March 4 at Willi Bowl in Windham. This annual tradition brings together Eastern students, alumni, faculty, local businesses and community residents to support student scholarships.
Eastern’s Center of Community Engagement (CCE) and Office of Alumni Affairs work together to organize the event. “The CCE is a fantastic organization,” said Ryan Rose, associate director of alumni affairs. “We have created a great partnership over the years and found great ways to involve the community in our campus events. It’s a way to bring community members and the Eastern campus together.”
Students in Laurel and Nutmeg Residence Halls had loads of fun at this year’s bowlathon.
The CCE pairs students from Windham Middle School with Eastern students, who take the role of mentors for the middle school students at the event. “It was really awesome to see all the young kids so excited,” said Nicolette D’Anna-Fierko, CCE volunteer. “The event was so much more rewarding knowing that these children had us to look up to even for something like bowling. They were so excited and worked really hard to improve their skills as the game progressed.”
Teams were formed by a number of different Eastern groups, including the men’s soccer team, the Honors program, various residence halls and more. Each team raised money for the event, with donated funds split between the Community Youth Scholarship and the CCE. The Community Youth Scholarship is a fund that helps local students attend Eastern.
“The event was well attended,” said Rose. “Each resident hall was represented and we ended up raising a lot of money toward the scholarship.” The event had 134 participants and more than $6,000 was raised.
Written by Christina Rossamondo
