Tuesday, June 16, 2009

PBA Partners With Goodwill Industries

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) has announced Goodwill
Industries
of Greater Detroit as its official charity partner for the 2009 PBA
World Series of
Bowling. The announcement was made at a press conference
today at Thunderbowl Lanes.

The Detroit area will host the inaugural World Series of Bowling (WSOB), a
revolutionary festival of world-class bowling, beginning Aug. 2 and running
through Sept. 6.

Goodwill Industries is the only organization solely dedicated to helping
unemployed metro Detroiters overcome barriers and find jobs.

“Hosting the first-ever World Series of Bowling right here in the Detroit area
will be an immense boost for our economy and our people,” said Lorna G. Utley,
president and CEO, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit. “In naming
Goodwill
Industries of Greater Detroit as its official charity partner, the PBA
will enable many metro Detroiters to overcome their barriers to employment and
become trained, trusted and ready to work.”

In just the past two years of the organization’s nearly 90-year history,
Goodwill Industries has placed more than 2,500 individuals from metro Detroit
into new jobs and provided career assistance to thousands more in Southeast
Michigan. For information about how Goodwill Industries battles unemployment
in the region, visit www.goodwilldetroit.org.

With $2 million in prize money and seven ESPN telecasts planned as part of the
WSOB, the event will focus the attention of the bowling world on the Detroit
area unlike any previous event in bowling history. After kicking off the program
with the Motor City Open at Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Mich., the WSOB will shift
to Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park for the duration. A complete schedule of
events is available at a new dedicated website,

www.pbaworldseriesofbowling.com.

“For decades, Detroit has been the hub of bowling in the United States. It has
produced dozens of hall of fame players and has contributed significantly to the
history of our sport at all levels. For those reasons, it only made sense to
bring the new World Series of Bowling to the community that has given so much
to the sport,” said Tom Clark, Deputy Commissioner of the PBA. “Nothing like
the World Series of Bowling has ever been done before. Over a span of five
weeks, the PBA will bring the world’s best bowlers to the Detroit area to serve as
a catalyst for economic impact and a rally point for the communities and
businesses. It’s no secret that unemployment has hit the Detroit area as hard as
any other region in country.”

WSOB events are being planned for the entire family, including pro-am events
where amateur bowlers can roll with the pros. The pro-ams support Goodwill
Industries’ mission of helping metro Detroiters overcome employment barriers
through education, training and career assistance.

Further updates and details will be posted regularly regarding the PBA World
Series of Bowling
and the rest of the 2009-2010 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour
season, including tournament entry and ticket information.

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