California Supports BVL

Jean Farr, League Coordinator, Tustin Lanes

Congratulations to Tustin Lanes and Jean Farr, respectively, for being selected Bowlers to Veterans Link Center of the Month and Volunteer of the Month for December 2005 – the first time that a BVL volunteer, and the center at which they work, have been selected simultaneously!

For BVL, the choice was not difficult.

“I’d been in touch with Jean a few times and heard about the ‘Bowlers Salute America’s Troops’ campaign they were running at Tustin,” explains BVL Board Chair Elaine Hagin. “Each time we spoke, Jean reported she had raised enough money to purchase a few more lanes. It was amazing.”

In all, Tustin Lanes, a 42-lane center located south of Los Angeles County in Tustin, California, raised enough money to purchase and ship 12 of the portable carpet lane kits – with pins, balls and score sheets to the troops in Iraq.

It all began when a friend of Farr’s, Marge Miyoda, went to BPAA’s Bowl Expo Orlando, Florida, last June and brought a bag full of literature back to Tustin. “In Marge’s packet, I came across the information about the carpet lane project and went on-line to the BVL website. There, I read more about the project and saw the pictures of the guys using the lanes in Iraq.” When she saw the photos, Farr knew that this was something in which she wanted to be involved. “I talked it over with the owner of Tustin Lanes, Jack Mann, who is a World War II veteran. He said ‘Go for it; I’m behind you 100%.’ So I knew I was on my way!”

Farr took the one-on-one approach. “I personally walked up and down the lanes every night with every league and talked to our bowlers about the project. The response was phenomenal – everyone just loved the idea and wanted to be a part of it,” Farr explains. “It was absolutely beyond my expectations. I wanted to get three kits sent over -- that was my goal.”

However, the Tustin Lanes bowlers gave Farr the opportunity to exceed her goal.
She planned a month-long campaign…by the end of one week, Jean had enough money to purchase six lanes.

The bowlers gave generously and were enthusiastic about the project. Many people gave $20, some gave $40. The donations kept rolling in. In fact, two of Jean’s bowlers, Dianne Deutsch and Eleanora Martino each gave $350.00! Jean reports, “They asked, ‘How much do you want? Let me write you a check.’ I was flabbergasted.”

Then, Jean coordinated a tournament to support the effort. When discussing the tournament with Tustin Lanes owner, Mann told Farr that he wouldn’t charge lineage. The result? The tournament raised enough for another couple of lanes.

Next, Libby Buckley, past president of the Orange County WBA, asked to borrow the American Flag/Eagle ball which is provided in the kit. Libby took it to a meeting of the Tustin Area Women’s Club, and talked about the program – she quickly raised enough money to purchase another lane.

Jean says the supplies provided in the marketing kit were very helpful. “The ball and the wrist bands were a real hit, everyone wanted one!” explains Jean.

When Farr announced that she’d raised enough for 10 lanes, she chided Mann, ‘Now you have to give us enough money to purchase two more – and he wrote the check.’

“This campaign has had a huge impact wherever it’s being run throughout the country – the generosity of America’s bowlers never ceases to amaze us,” remarked BVL’s Hagin. “But, the combination of Tustin Lanes, their bowlers, and Jean Farr has been really quite remarkable. Our thanks and gratitude go to everyone there who supported the effort.”

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