1st of 2 JA bowl-a-thon fundraisers in Austintown today

AUSTINTOWN

There was an abundance of balls and strikes Saturday afternoon, but there were no runs, no hits and no errors.

It was the Great American Bowl-A-Thon Challenge: Red, White and Blue, sponsored by Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley. The event, in its 25th year, is the largest fundraiser each year for JA, said Marcy Angelo, program and special events coordinator.

A second bowl-a-thon, also to benefit JA, will be May 8 at Camelot Lanes in Boardman.

Angelo said proceeds from Saturday’s event should put the organization more than halfway toward its goal of generating $20,000 between the two events. JA will use the money to help pay for programming to promote financial literacy, work-readiness and entrepreneurship for some 13,000 students in grades K-12 in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties.

“Our mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy,” Angelo said, noting that Junior Achievement works with 91 schools in its four-country market.

Thirty-one teams, made up of employees from six area companies, took part in Saturday’s challenge.

Read more about the event in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.