Bowling fundraiser on April 7 to benefit Ride for Roswell

Team RPCS & Russell J. Salvatore join up for afternoon of family fun bowling, tournament at Transit Lanes

It started with an idea: have an afternoon of bowling to raise funds toward the Ride for Roswell. After a chance encounter between a bowling aficionado and legendary restaurateur Russell J. Salvatore, the idea turned into so much more.

As part of its efforts to raise funds toward the 2019 Ride for Roswell, Team RPCS (Roswell Park Cessation Services) presents an afternoon of family-fun bowling and the Russell J. Salvatore Open Tournament from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at Transit Lanes, located at 7850 Transit Road in Williamsville. Door prizes, a 50/50 drawing and more than 70 raffle baskets with gifts donated from Western New York’s top establishments are also part of the afternoon’s events.

Patricia Bax, the marketing and outreach coordinator for RPCS, met Salvatore after a recent visit to Russell’s Steaks, Chops & More. After casually mentioning the idea of the bowling fundraiser, a simple ask for a gift card turned into luxurious prizes for the tournament portion of the afternoon. The first-place finish for both the handicap and scratch scores in a singles no-tap bowling tournament is dinner for six plus wine at Russell’s.

“We are beyond grateful for Mr. Salvatore’s generosity and the outpouring of donations from fellow Western New York businesses,” Bax said. “As an employee of Roswell Park and the sister of a cancer survivor, the groundswell of support for this event means the world to my fellow Roswell Park Cessation Services colleagues and me. We are determined to make this a memorable event for this year and years to come.”

Bax knows a thing or two about bowling. She is a league bowler and the wife of Niagara Falls native Fran Bax, a past U.S. recordholder for best three-game set (833 pins, set in 1983 at the American Bowling Congress National Tournament), and a 69-time perfect game achiever. Patricia and Fran hope to challenge competitive bowlers throughout Western New York and beyond to fight cancer by bowling at Transit Lanes on April 7.

The family-fun bowl costs $20 per person or $110 for a group of six, and includes two hours of open bowling, shoe rental, pizza, fries and a pitcher of soda. The entry fee for the Russell J. Salvatore Open is $50. A poster for the event and official tournament rules are available at https://bit.ly/bowlingRPCS. Anyone interested in participating in any capacity – bowling, volunteering or sponsoring – can contact Bax at 716-284-6576 or [email protected].

RPCS provides evidence-based, best-practice tobacco cessation services to employees of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, state quitlines, health plans and employer-sponsored programs. More information is available at https://rpcs.roswellpark.org.