Poland team bowls for the Relay for Life
Poland Relay for Life’s Team Bezac held a fundraiser for their team at Mahoning Valley Lanes in Austintown on Feb. 19. Important members of Team Bezac, including team sponsor Leonard Mochtyak (front), gathered for a photo before getting back to their bowling fun.
Jadyn Renee had fun playing a few bowling games- without bumpers- during the relay fundraiser.
Team sponsor Leonard Mochtyak, whose company Bezac Equipment Company was responsible for starting the team, had a unique form during his bowling game.
By SARAH FOOR
The Mochtyak family has dealt with cancer many times within the last few years, but the illnesses haven’t managed to take away any of the family’s joy and zest for life.
The Mochtyaks have used their experiences to better the lives of others with cancer by joining Poland’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life as Team Bezac. The team gathered at Mahoning Valley Lanes in Austintown on Feb. 19 for fundraising, food, and bowling fun to prepare for Poland’s July 8 Relay.
Team co-chair Sharon Mochtyak planned the Team Bezac bowling event, and offered guests three hours of unlimited bowling for $10 and a 50/50 raffle. However, the afternoon of bowling was mostly a chance for family, friends, and supporters to have a little fun.
“We’ve had a tough few years, but instead of sadness, we choose to celebrate,” said Mochtyak.
Mochtyak recently was given a clean bill of health after a fight with endometrial cancer, and Mochtyak’s niece and mother also fought cancers of their own. Mochtyak’s sister, Terri Price, was recently a caretaker for a partner with a brain tumor. A year ago, a sponsorship from their brother Leonard Mochtyak and his Bezac Equipment Company created Team Bezac, with Sharon Mochtyak and Price co-chairing.
Team Bezac raised $2,000 during the Relay for Life last year, and have already passed $1,000 raised thus far for the 2011 Relay. The bowling event was celebratory and fun, but guests to the event understood the larger purpose for the fundraiser.
“Our family has been incredibly lucky in our many fights with cancer,” Sharon Mochtyak reflected, “but I know many families who can’t say the same. We have to give back, and make sure to celebrate the many people who are still here, to honor those who haven’t made it.”
Team Bezac’s next Relay fundraiser, open to the public, is a wine tasting at Luva Bella Winery on April 9.