Teams of bowlers try to score a strike for kids

Members of the community went to Heritage Lanes Sunday afternoon to help Seneca Mentoring Youth Links by doing a little bowling. SMYL hosted its first Tiffin Strike-A-Thon to raise money for its mentoring program, said mentor coordinator Matt Coleman. Participants were offered free SMYL T-shirts, shoes, pizza and two games of bowling, he said. Door prizes were raffled off, which included items such as Hot Wheels cars, candy and T-shirts. Eighteen teams of five were registered, and each team paid a fee of $100-$500. The money raised will go toward events and supplies for mentoring throughout the year, Coleman said. Local businesses helped sponsor the event, Coleman said, giving a total of $2,600. Some of these sponsors included Simply Susan's, Old Fort Bank and The Advertiser-Tribune Although SMYL has done a similar event in Fostoria, Coleman said this was the first bowling event they've had in Tiffin. Coleman was interested in bringing Strike-A-Thon to the city because he said it's a good bonding activity and appeals to all ages. "With bowling, young and old enjoy it," he said. "We want them enjoying time together. A lot of the kids in the program don't necessarily get to enjoy events like this." Coleman asked adult bowlers who weren't mentors of SMYL to fill out applications at Heritage Lanes to become one. "We have just over 50 matches and are always looking for more," he said.