Goretti students raise money for St. Jude's

February 05, 1999|By DAN KULIN /Staff Writer

An hour before school let out Friday, more than half of the students from St. Maria Goretti were bowling strikes, spares and gutter balls in the name of charity.

The bowl-a-thon raised about $1,700 for St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., said Bonnie Pratt, an English teacher who helped organize the event.

It was the second year for the bowling fund-raiser, which is organized by students in the National Honors Society at the private high school in Hagerstown.

"The money goes for a good cause," said Asad Chaudhy, a senior at Goretti.

"You see the videos (from the hospital) and you know you're making a difference in their lives," he said.

"You see that if the researchers had more money maybe they could cure cancer or buy more equipment for research," said Amy Sri, also a senior at the school.

One-hundred and thirteen of the 222 students at the school had to donate at least $15 to the hospital to bowl with their classmates. Pratt said that some students donated as much as $50.

"Our students are very aware and willing to help those less fortunate, as are many students everywhere," Pratt said.

"It's also a chance for them to let their hair down and blow off some steam," she said.

The donations also paid for the bowling at Long Meadow Bowl. Bowling alley owners let the students use the bowling shoes for free, Pratt said.

Last year the event raised about $1,800 for the hospital.

The bowling fund-raiser replaced a trivia fund-raiser, which had raised an average of about $500 a year, Pratt said.

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