• Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
Check out the enhanced Bowl.com
  • Bowl for the Cure About Bowl for the Cure

    Bowl for the Cure® is a year-round fund-raising and breast cancer awareness initiative sponsored by USBC in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation that has raised over $1 billion as the world’s largest grassroots organization of breast cancer survivors and activists.

    Since the initiative’s inception in 2000, people from across the country have hit the lanes to raise millions for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and its Affiliates.

    Here you will find everything you need to know about how to participate in a Bowl for the Cure® event in your area or organize one of your own, including dozens of event ideas, an events calendar, news and success stories as well as donation and contact information.

    No event or donation is too small to make a difference in the lives of the 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Whether you bring 10 participants or 500 to a bowling center near you, and whether you raise $10 or $10,000, the 2.5 million women who have survived this disease will have you to thank for saving their lives.

    Read More
  • Bowl for the Cure Participate

    Since its inception, Bowl for the Cure fundraising events have compiled a rich history of success and tradition. Over the past nine years, people from across the country have hit the lanes to raise close to $8 million for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and its affiliates. More recently, the eight-annual USBC Bowl for the Cure event set a record when nearly 800 participants raised $73,500 in a single day at Milwaukee’s AMF Bowlero Lanes, helping Bowl for the Cure® achieve its annual fundraising goal of $1 million.

    Find and join an event

  • Bowl for the Cure Contact Us

    bftc@bowl.com
    817-385-8478
    USBC
    Attn: Bowl for the Cure
    621 Six Flags Drive
    Arlington, TX 76011

 
 
BOWL FOR THE CURE FEATURES
  • 2009 Convention Bowl for the Cure 2011 Bowl for the Cure contribution

    USBC presented Susan G. Komen for the Cure® a check for more than $952,000 at the annual Meet for the Cure ceremony during the 2011 USBC Convention.

    USBC, in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, sponsor Bowl for the Cure®, a year-round fundraising and breast cancer awareness initiative.

    The $952,082.51 check presented to Margo Lucero, Vice President of Business Development and Partnerships for Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

    The 2011 year marked the 11th anniversary of Bowl for the Cure®. The initiative has raised more than $9 million for Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

  • Event Calendar

    Volunteers across the nation are planning Bowl for the Cure events at a location near you. If you’re wondering how you can help them make their events as successful as possible, make sure to keep checking back with our Bowl for the Cure Events Calendar often to find out when and where. Our events calendar makes it as easy as ever to locate and participate in Bowl for the Cure events from coast to coast.

  • Hold Your Own Event

    No event or donation is too small to make a difference in the lives of the 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Whether you bring 10 participants or 500 to a bowling center near you, and whether you raise $10 or $10,000, the 2.5 million women who have survived this disease will have you to thank for saving their lives.

  • Personalize Your Event

    Need help coming up with an interesting event idea? Here you will find suggestions for ways to organize fun and unique Bowl for the Cure® events from people who have had success producing events of their own around the country.

    • Designate a specific day or week during leagues and ask bowlers to bring in their "spare" change to help "strike" out breast cancer . Bring a large jar to your bowling center to collect the change, and donate the change and any pledges you may also get to Bowl for the Cure®.
      —Thunderbelles, Mt. Prospect , Ill.
    • Collect used bowling equipment from your members and hold a garage sale. Collect equipment such as shirts, shoes, towels, balls and bags. All proceeds from the garage sale are donated to Bowl for the Cure®.
      —Tyler (Texas) Women’s Bowling Association
    • Give your standard “Penny Per Pin” fund-raiser a boost by asking local companies to match your contribution.
      —Al Harris Pest Control Ladies League, Sarasota, Fla.
    • Raffles are a fun way to ensure that Bowl for the Cure® and bowlers can both be winners. Handmade items are especially unique. Raffle a hand-crocheted baby afghan in addition to donating a penny per pin during league play.
      —Wednesday Night Ladies League, Hamilton, Miss.
    • Even though Bowl for the Cure® events usually are held in February, breast cancer awareness is a year-round project. Organize a Christmas-themed decoration sale. Personalize decorations with the names of victims and survivors of breast cancer or with the donor’s name and display on a tree.
      —Las Cruces (N.M.) Women’s Bowling Association
    • Create pledge cards to be sold at area businesses. Partner with local bars to offer Susan G. Komen for the Cure pledge cards for sale during the months of January and February.
      —Michigan City (Ind.) Women’s Bowling Association
    • Partner with a local restaurant to receive a portion of customer sales for an evening.
      —Medina (Valley City, Ohio) Women’s Bowling Association
    • We know you can bowl, but what else can you do? Use your talents to make bowling-related items. An Indiana bowler knitted bowling shoe booties and sold them during a local bowl-a-thon, donating a portion of the proceeds to Bowl for the Cure®.
      —Michigan City (Ind.) Women’s Bowling Association
    • Throw a twist on the raffle idea by holding a “Chinese” (or “Chance”) auction. Participants buy a number of tickets to be thrown into a bowl corresponding to the desired item. The more tickets you throw in the bowl, the more likely you are to have your ticket randomly picked as the winner of the auction.
      —Slocum Thursday Night Ladies League, West Trenton , N.J
    Read More
  • Fun Event Formats

    A unique scoring format known as the “Baker” system is used at most collegiate bowling events and has ranked college tournaments among the most exciting in all of bowling. Why not inject that kind of excitement into your Bowl for the Cure® event? From no-tap tournaments to cosmic bowling, the abundance of formats and activities at your disposal is bound to make it as fun to plan an event as it will be to participate in one.

    • Baker System: Play in the baker format is fast-paced and fun. All team members follow each other in regular order to bowl a single game. The lead bowler rolls the first frame followed by the No. 2 bowler rolling the second frame; the No. 3 bowler, the third frame; the No. 4 bowler, the fourth frame; and the No. 5 bowler, the fifth frame. The lead bowler then continues the game by bowling the sixth frame, and so on. The No. 5 bowler rolls all balls in the tenth frame.
    • 9-Pin No-Tap: Add some excitement to the traditional bowling experience and make your event a “no-tap” tournament. Bowlers leaving only one or two pins on their first throw will be awarded with a strike. This results in quicker game play, higher scores and larger donations to Bowl for the Cure®.
    • 3-6-9 Game: In a 3-6-9 game, each bowler automatically receives a strike in the third, sixth and ninth frames to combine the best of the baker and no-tap formats with high scores and fast-paced games.
    • Best Ball: In the “Best Ball” format, a combination of any two bowlers is allowed. Each bowler rolls one ball each frame. The better of the two balls is the score entered for the team. There are no spares recorded since the pins are reset after each ball thrown. The exception to this is the tenth frame where scoring is regulation for each bowler; i.e., if a strike is bowled on the first ball, the bowler would then roll two extra balls.
    Read More
  • Event Forms

    Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women aged 40-59. Each year, USBC sponsors Bowl for the Cure®, a breast cancer awareness and fundraising initiative to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

    The Forms provide all the necessary tools you need to conduct Bowl for the Cure® events.

 
 
BOWL FOR THE CURE INFORMATION
  • Meet for the Cure

    Held each year at the USBC Convention, Meet for the CureTM is a gathering of USBC members and guests to celebrate the success of Bowl for the Cure® and breast cancer survivors as well as look ahead to the future.

    Meet for the CureTM marks the end of the bowling season with a check presentation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure representing the season's total funds raised. In addition, lights in the convention center are dimmed as each USBC member and guest in attendance whirls a pink glow stick in a show of support for Bowl for the Cure® and the fight against breast cancer.

  • Merchandise

    Show your support for the fight against breast cancer during Bowl for the Cure month in February. Get your Bowl for the Cure merchandise at the USBC Store and remember that no purchase is too small to make a difference. With just a credit card and the click of a mouse you can do your part in the fight to end breast cancer once and for all.

    Get your Bowl for the Cure merchandise at the USBC Store

  • Success Stories

    We held an event here in Milwaukee

    We held an event here in Milwaukee on January 23, 2009. The Milwaukee Bucks basketball sponsored and organized the event. 500 bowlers participated. There were raffles and silent auctions, and t-shirts and goodie bags for all participants. Harley-Davidson was a big supporter, its employees responsible for over $10,000 in funds raised. The lineage was donated by AMF Bowlero. Lakeside School of Massage Therapy was even present, offering free massages for a donation. The Milwaukee USBC Women's Bowling Association was also proud to help.

    The event raised over $25,000, with two squads of bowlers bowling two games each - one regular 10 pin and the other a nine-pin-tap game. KISS-FM radio station was also on hand to provide lots of music during the "cosmic" bowling.on January 23, 2009. The Milwaukee Bucks basketball sponsored and organized the event. 500 bowlers participated. There were raffles and silent auctions, and t-shirts and goodie bags for all participants. Harley-Davidson was a big supporter, its employees responsible for over $10,000 in funds raised. The lineage was donated by AMF Bowlero. Lakeside School of Massage Therapy was even present, offering free massages for a donation. The Milwaukee USBC Women's Bowling Association was also proud to help. The event raised over $25,000, with two squads of bowlers bowling two games each - one regular 10 pin and the other a nine-pin-tap game. KISS-FM radio station was also on hand to provide lots of music during the "cosmic" bowling.


    The Iowa State USBC WBA sponsors a mail-in tournament

    The Iowa State USBC WBA sponsors a mail-in tournament during the week of February 8 - 14 using league scores. If a bowler is unable to bowl during that week, the week of the 15th-21st is also used. The entry fee is $5.00 and $2.00 of each entry goes to the Bowl for the Cure. This is our 6th year of holding this tournament. Our first year had 1,034 entries and was for our women bowlers only. The tournament was handicapped and had 2 divisions. Now in our 6th year we had a record of 1,817 entries and also have 2 divisions for BA bowlers (men and women) and 3 divisions for the WBA members and is still handicapped. The entry fee is still $5 with $2 of each entry going to the Bowl for the Cure. We do have an entry cut-off date in mid-January and the last 2 years have had to extend that to allow for cancellation of leagues due to weather.

    So many people call and say they were cancelled due to weather, could they please have another week to collect entries. Some of the leagues/associations also host their own tournaments during this time or have taken up collections to add to the total and they send those to us to include with the money collected from the entry forms. The scores are starting to roll in (need to be postmarked by March 1st). The whole thing keeps me pretty busy during January thru mid-March. We do purchase a Bowl for the Cure bowling ball and raffle tickets are sold at our state tournament and the ball is given away at the end of the tournament and those funds are also added to our total. In past years we have also raffled off small "pink" kitchen appliances and a "Pink Barbie."


    The 7th Annual Bowl for the Cure was held on Friday, February 20th

    The 7th Annual Bowl for the Cure was held on Friday, February 20th at Clover Lanes. Bowl for the Cure is a year round fund-raising and breast cancer awareness initiative by the United States Bowling Congress, in partnership with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In the six years prior, bowlers throughout have donated over $6,000,000 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. United States Bowling Congress- Rochester WBA Director, Kathy O'Neill is proud to announce that this year's benefit was a tremendous, inspiring success! This year shattered past records!

    I would personally like to say THANK-YOU to the 94 teams that stepped up once (a near sell-out as Clover Lanes has 50 lanes.2 squads) again to show their love and support for those afflicted with Breast Cancer. There were 12 breast cancer survivors on hand that received pink carnation corsages (thanks to the official florist of the Rochester Bowl For the Cure, Dave Schum of Schum's Florist) and a bottle of wine to start the evening off! Dave Schum also donated 3 beautiful breast cancer awareness arrangements.

    The night was packed with exciting raffles to take chances on including Fruit Baskets from Wegmans, Bread Basket with good wishes from Great Harvest Breads, golf outings and many more outstanding raffle items! There were also 50/50's that were run for each squad as well as Silent Auctions for both squads. There was competitive bidding on a number of items. Such items included: autographed Goose Gossage Plaque, autographed Yankee books by Ron Guidry, high performance bowling balls and many more great items! There were two beautiful quilts, one made by Laurie Gray inscribed "Bowl For The Cure 2/15/2008 and the other made by Barb Reynolds and her quilt group! ( Laurie is a breast cancer survivor and sister of Judy Jaffarian and Barb Reynold's sister is also a survivor!)

    Once again chances were sold for the Bowl For The Cure Daily Number where participants donated $1.00 to try and match the NYS daily number for the evening drawing of 2/20/2008. There were 2310 tries and five individuals hit the number of 290 splitting the jackpot and received $231.00 each!

    There were plenty of gifts on hand that were handed out throughout the evening as way to say Thank You for participating!

    Local radio station Fickle 93.3 also stepped up on the lanes to help strike out breast cancer. On hand for the evening were: Marti Casper, Dino Kaye and their promotion team. Also, joining as an Honorary chairperson this season was the Senior Vice President of Consumer Affairs for Wegmans, Mary-Ellen Burris! These folks did a awesome job of introducing our survivors and group leaders, chit chatting with folks and having lots of pictures taken!

    Speaking of group leaders there were plenty, those included Rose Martin and the Fun Raisers, Linda Swaney and the Tuesday night ladies, Bryant & Stratton College, Jeanne Paiko and the Wednesday night folks. Thank-you very much group leaders for your support in this event!!

    Breast Cancer Coalition, was represented by Mary Gross with a wonderful display of items that were for sale as well as informational pamphlets. Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester helps with many with educational services in the Rochester area such as their Resource Center and monthly Educational Programs to assist those going through treatment as well as support from family and friends.

    I also would like to thank Danny Morgenstern, the management and staff of Clover Lanes for doing a sensational job including putting colored pins into the racks. Everyone who rolled a strike when there was a colored head pin received a free game of bowling at Clover Lanes! Clover Lanes also ran beer specials and with every pitcher purchased a donation was made back to the benefit!

    Lastly, for the volunteers that lend a hand for the night, Jodi Labar, Katie Labar, Barb Wnuk, Magda Wnuk, Bill Fortino, Bill Warren, Sharron Peet, Debbie Dietrich, Lisa Jeffers, and Kathy Larson-thank you for your help! ( I hope I got everyone!)

    Thank you once again for an outstanding 7th Annual Bowl For the Cure! To date from the inception, the first year was a sell-out of 20 teams at Sunset Lanes to now double squads at Clover Lanes, over $47,500.00 has been raised and donated thanks to everyone's generous hearts and support!!!!!

    Okay.. So..here is the finally tally for this year's event.. Shattering all past season's events..$13,093.00!!!!! This is split between the USBC Bowl For The Cure and Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester!

    THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

    Until next February 12th 2010, I wish everyone Happiness and Health!

    Read More
  • Submit a Success Story

    To submit a Bowl for the Cure event success story, send us the following:
    The location and venue where this event was held:
    Date on which event was held:
    Number of participants:
    Amount of money raised:
    Tell us your success story:
    Phone number of primary contact person:
    Email address of primary contact person:
    While we are unable to respond to each individual submission due to the volume of submissions we receive, we will be contacting you if your story is chosen to be featured on bowl.com.