Indiana State University Newsroom

As Jason Downs was pondering the different kinds of fundraisers to organize, he considered one of his favorite hobbies: bowling.

Downs is part of the MBA Association student group at Indiana State University that is organizing the "Striking Out Hunger" fundraiser at Imperial Lanes in Terre Haute. For the event, the participating Indiana State MBA alumni and students, such as Downs, are seeking donations for each strike they bowl during the two games they will play. All of the money that the participants receive will be donated to the Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank.

"I thought let's try to turn bowling into a fundraiser so that as a group, we get to come out and do an event," said Downs, who regularly bowls at Imperial Lanes, located on U.S. 41 across from the Indiana State campus. "We get to raise money for a wonderful cause at the same time."

The MBA Association is still seeking current students or alumni of Indiana State's MBA program who want to bowl in the fundraiser. Participants are accepting single donations, along with financial commitments per strike that is bowled.

"Even though there are signs that the economy is recovering, poverty is still a significant problem," said Neil Clark, president of the MBA Association. "This issue gets overlooked in a lot of ways, particularly in smaller communities, where problems stemming from poverty are not always as visible."

Clark has worked with food banks in the past, and has been surprised at the number of people who utilize services of such agencies.

"Hunger affects everyone," he added, "and we felt that the food bank would be a good partner in raising awareness of this problem."

The event is a chance for many of the MBA students, including international students, to get together for an event, which doesn't happen frequently, Downs said.

"This is an opportunity for us to get together and show them an American pastime," Downs said. "At the same time, it's to raise awareness and money for a good cause, so really, it's a win-win situation."

Students from the MBA Association will be at Indiana State's Hulman Memorial Student Union from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 20 for people who want to donate. People are welcome to watch the "Striking Out Hunger" participants bowl on March 21 at 9 p.m., and donations will be accepted at that time as well.

For more information, including to donate for the fundraiser that will benefit Catholic Charities, contact Neil Clark at nclark13@sycamores.indstate.edu or Jason Downs at jdowns6@sycamores.indstate.edu 

Media Contact and Writer: Austin Arceo, assistant director of media relations, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3790 or austin.arceo-negrich@indstate.edu