Amador County – The Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council plans its third annual “Bowl-A-Thon” March 26, and as of last week about nine spots remain for teams to join.

Program director Robin Valencia said Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council said Friday that 15 teams had signed up and that nine more slots remain open. She said the Child Abuse Prevention Council couldn’t do many of its special services “without the funds raised through our annual Bowl-a-Thon.” The public can join by forming a “five-person team, and collecting a minimum of $250 per team in donations.”

Bowlers get free pizza, soda, and a chance to win prizes. People can also donate a raffle prize or a silent auction item, or become an event sponsor. Valencia said: “One of our council members once commented,” that “we get a lot of bang for our buck,” and “when you look back at our activities for 2010 we hope you will agree.”

She said more than 1,000 community members benefitted from Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council’s free workshops. They hosted eight Child Abuse & Neglect Mandated Reporter Training sessions with 104 attendees. She said more than 200 school faculty and staff were presented information.

The Council held 22 Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention workshops that reached a total of 595 people, including all students in freshmen health classes at Amador and Argonaut high schools. The Council held 11 Digital Safety and Cyber Bullying Prevention workshops, attended by a total of 268 students and parents. And the Council’s 12 Stranger Awareness presentations gave information to 104 children and their parents or guardians since the program was started in July.

Valencia said: “We accomplished all of this with a volunteer Council of community partners, part-time staff, and a whole lot of community support.” Valencia said 120 people participated in the 2010 Bowl-a-Thon, which raised more than $13,000, and donated 194 pounds of “kid-friendly” food to the Inter Faith Food Bank.

Donations have already been received, for prizes and the silent auction, for this year’s Bowl-A-Thon. Prizes gathered so far include a $500 certificate from SunFlower Pro Cleaning, an electric toothbrush from Jackson Creek Dental, two treatments from Amador Acupuncture, a one-night stay at Shenandoah Inn, a case of wine, two sets of books from Volcano Press, and a $25 Raley’s gift card.

To reserve a team lane, call Valencia at 223-5921.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.