CARING & SHARING | Bowl-a-Thon Hosted by Local Kiwanis Clubs Raise Funds for Spastic Paralysis R

BATAVIA – Bowlers of all ages joined in the fun for a great cause at the Annual Bowl A Thon hosted by local Kiwanis Clubs. On Saturday February 25th participants enjoyed pizza, bowling, and comradery, all while raising pledges for their team. Donations were collected by each bowler per pin or flat pledge.

Every year in February, you can find clubs gathering together over a cause which is the heart of Kiwanians in the Illinois and Eastern Iowa District, (the Spastic Paralysis Research Foundation.) Over eighty people attended the event at Bowling Green Sports Center in West Chicago that was hosted by clubs within Division 10. These clubs include, Elgin Noon, Elgin Golden K, St. Charles Noon, St. Charles Golden K, Geneva and Batavia.

Imagine a world in which it is difficult to complete the simplest of tasks like brushing your hair, tying your shoes, or even talking. When you have spastic paralysis, the nerves that control muscle movement are hyperirritable and do not function in a coordinated manner. Impulses from them cause spasmodic muscle contractions. While not a disease itself, spastic paralysis is a symptom of various diseases and medical conditions. In the past 65 years, tremendous medical breakthroughs have been accomplished with the help of the Spastic Paralysis Research Foundation.

During World War II, a group of Kiwanians came together to address an area of medical research that was lacking. Research was being done for almost every human ailment-- heart disease, cancer, leukemia, polio and many others. However, no where in the world was research being done in the area of spastic paralysis. Clubs throughout Illiois and Eastern Iowa (which form the I-I District of Kiwanis International) found themselves dedicating their talents towards this cause and, in 1952, the Spastic Paralysis Research Foundation was organized. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide financial grants to top level medical and scientific researchers specializing in spastic paralysis and other diseases of the central nervous system. For more information about the Foundation you can visit www.sprfoundation.org.

A resounding thank you to all of those who supported a bowler, and the sponsors who made the Bowl A Thon possible: Janet Marino LMT, Carmen Briggs of Kettley Realty, State Farm Insurance Agent Steve Queen, Bulldog Plumbing, Association for Individual Development, O'Brien Law, First State Bank, Kiwanis Club of Batavia, Kiwanis Club of St. Charles Noon, Kiwanis Club of Elgin Golden K, and Illinois-Eastern Iowa District Governor Rick Poulton, 3e Prints, and Bowling Green.

Currently the bowlers are collecting their pledges. Even though the Bowl A Thon has already taken place, donations are still accepted for this great endeavor. Checks can be made out to "Spastic Paralysis Research Foundation" and mailed to Division 10 Bowl A Thon, c/o Kiwanis Club of Batavia, P.O. Box 264, Batavia, Illinois, 60510. Join us in serving the children of the world.

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