Pics: O&A 2d Annual Lanes for Change Bowling Benefit

What an amazing afternoon!  37 O&A members, Creative Clay member artists, family, and supporters gathered at Ten Pins Bowling Alley in St. Pete for the 2nd Annual Lanes for Change Bowling Benefit for Creative Clay!

And the benefit was a rousing success!  Contributions for Creative Clay were generous, and everyone had a wonderful time. Throughout the whole afternoon, our (very large) group kept up a constant, high volume of cheering, shouts of encouragement (and challenges!), laugher, music, and bowling balls crashing into pins. Of course, Creative Clay’s member artists – as they did last year – schooled the rest of us, outscoring us and making it look way too easy!

Creative Clay Cultural Arts Center – the reason we were all gathered – is a nonprofit cultural arts center making the arts accessible for everyone, regardless of age, gender, ability and/or race. Since 1995, Creative Clay has been providing local artists with developmental, physical, and/or emotional disabilities an opportunity to pursue their passion for art making. Its offerings include studio and community based activities for exploring unique personal realities in an inventive, professional environment, and it promotes the work of its member artists through bimonthly art exhibitions in its downtown gallery and various public venues throughout the greater Tampa Bay region. It is a jewel in the community, bringing great joy to a great many. O&A has been proud to work with Creative Clay on this, as well as other, fundraisers over the past three years.

We were so thrilled to have five Creative Clay member artists show us their bowling skills – Linda, Lindsay, Tyler, Chris, and Sarah!  And we were also happy to welcome several new O&A members at this event – Jenn, Mike, Rana, and TJ.  We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Our lucky raffle prize winners – receiving O&A events and Creative Clay merchandise – were Barb, Carla, Geri, Jenn, Kathy, Laurie, Mandy, and Nile – congratulations!

Special thanks to Creative Clay, its member artists, and its Associate Director of Arts Services, Kim Dohrman, for giving us the privilege to work with you on this fantastic event.  Thanks also to Ten Pins Alley and its wonderful manager, Ellie, for providing us such a great venue for this benefit, and to Chris C. and Nicole for adding their photos to ours.