Bowl for an afternoon to help provide art programs for local children for a year: That’s how they roll at the Men’s Active 20-30 Club of Tucson.
Tucsonans who want to support the organization can join the Eighth Annual Pins for Pals Charity Bowling Tournament to benefit the Sonoran Glass School at 2 p.m. Saturday at Fiesta Lanes Bowling, 501 W. River Road.
“Glass art is a unique art form that allows kids an instant manifestation of expression: their vision is created in front of their eyes. It also allows exposure to trades in general and helps kids to see the value of having a real skill. Hopefully that can light a fire not just literally, but metaphorically, as they think about what they want to do with their lives,” said Kevin Volk, president of the local service club for young professionals.
Volk said that the Men’s Active 20-30 Club, which has been serving local children for decades and chooses a different bowling tournament beneficiary annually, is particularly enthusiastic about the opportunity to raise money for the Sonoran Glass School. A private donor will match funds raised during the tournament in an effort to bridge a $30,000 gap in youth programming formerly funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. A variety of youth education programs offer free and low-cost classes in fusing, mosaic, stained glass and other skills for children in kindergarten through 12th grade.
“There are thousands of organizations applying for funding from the NEA every year and we were fortunate to have funding for seven years. We have to begin to find other ways to continue funding our programs, so fundraisers like this are vital to us,” said John Peter Wilhite, Sonoran Glass School executive director.
Volk said the proposition of matching dollars provides extra incentive for the club to work hard on the fundraiser.
“We are not a huge event that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars and we are cognizant of that. Ideally, we want to make sure the money we do raise has a disproportionately large impact on the community and we feel that with the donor extending the dollar-for-dollar match, we can provide a really meaningful contribution toward continuing the youth education program of this homegrown nonprofit. It is a cool opportunity,” said Volk.
The idea of leveraging effort for the community is the basis for the Men’s Active 20-30 Club Tucson.
Comprised of men between the ages of 21 and 39 who are committed to assisting youth through fundraising and volunteering, it is also dedicated to building social and professional relationships. Since its inception, it has donated thousands of hours and more than $100,000 to numerous children’s charities including Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids, Educational Enrichment Foundation, University of Arizona Cancer Center and Steele Children’s Research Center. The club recently raised more than $18,000 at the Chris Whitson Memorial Golf Tournament to provide expanded programming to Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson.
“Our club operates by leveraging effort and generosity. We couldn’t operate without working with other organizations and individuals. Tucson sees a lot of success with groups coming together to have maximum impact in the community,” Volk said.
The current membership views the Sonoran Glass School’s youth education programming as an investment in the future and as an asset that prevents individual schools from being forced to create infrastructure for such programs.
“We like the idea that it exposes kids to the arts at a time when it is harder to work the arts into programming for schools,” Volk said.
