Sixth Annual Bowling Your Brains Out For Epilepsy To Benefit Over 700 Area Patients

By Kathy L. Collins

The Sixth Annual Bowling Your Brains Out For Epilepsy will be held on Sunday, November 2 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Alley at SouthShore located at 10221 Big Bend Rd. in Riverview and is open to everyone in the community. This annual event is organized by Roni-Kay Lopez of Riverview.

The beneficiary of Bowling Your Brains Out For Epilepsy is the Florida Epilepsy Services (FES), a non-profit organization that provides medical assistance, patient and family counseling and health care services to over 700 area patients. FES was established in 1973, provides services in Hillsborough County and is the sole provider of services in Polk County.

According to Lopez, “The purpose of this event is to raise funds for FES. The event includes a silent auction, raffle, bowling, 50/50 and a billiards and dart tournament. Last year, the event raised $15,000 from 300 participants. I have set an ambitious goal to double the amount this year.”

“This event has grown every year, however, I have higher hopes to ensure that medical expenses for more than 700 clients can be covered so I will ‘seize the moment’ until I can no longer,” said Lopez.

Some items that will be available in either the raffle or the silent auction include memorabilia from the Rays, the Buccaneers and the Lightning as well as Hilton Resort packages.

According to FES, there are 65 million people diagnosed with epilepsy worldwide. That number is greater that the combined total of those suffering from muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s. Yet, despite these statics, epilepsy remains one of the most misunderstood conditions and misconceptions about the condition persist. So in addition to raising funds for FES, Lopez strives to raise awareness of epilepsy as well.

In addition to individual participants, sponsorships are available, and these include lane sponsors of $250, $500 and $1,000.

Epilepsy Services of West Central Florida’s principal office is located at 3811 W. Sligh Ave. in Tampa. For more information, visit www.epilepsyservices.com.

For more information on the Sixth Annual Bowling Your Brains Out For Epilepsy, call Lopez at 447-1340 or e-mail ronikay23@gmail.com or call The Alley at South Shore at 672-8353.