Military Appreciation Bowl A-Thon forms joint, civil partnerships

The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce hosted its Annual Military appreciation bowl A-thon Feb. 04, 2017. The Bowl A-thon consisted of military members and companies that are in some way affiliated with the military. According to Ramona Specking, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce event coordinator and liaison to the military communities, the Annual Military Appreciation Bowl A-thon takes place every winter. The Chamber invites more than 120 joint service members to bowl for free alongside the companies who sponsor lanes at the event.

Amid neon lights, loud crashing strikes, music, food and prizes, military members collaborated with representatives from companies that support the military throughout Anchorage.

“In our company work, life safety is a key focus area,” said Karen Todd from Tyco Simplex Grinnell. “That area works well with the military.”

Melinda Brady, also from Tyco Simplex Grinnell put it simply, “We are here to show our appreciation and support to the military.”

“The atmosphere of the people is a great moral booster,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Henry. “And it’s contagious.”

Contagious is exactly what an event like this Bowl A-thon is, bringing military members and the public sectors together every year to just relax in each other’s company.

“This event is a way for the community to support the military, and the sponsors are very generous in events such as this Bowl A-thon,” said George Vakalis, the Chairmen of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Military Committee.

The Annual Bowl A-thon is a fun event that also has a bigger goal. Funds raised from sponsorships are the financial backbone for the military appreciation picnic that takes place each June on JBER. The picnic draws five to seven thousand service members and their families each summer, and it is offered free of charge.

Everybody was a winner at this event. Military members mingled with companies who operate in the communities where we live and work and companies get to spend time with our hard-working armed forces.