AGAWAM – The Agawam Lions Club will be hosting a bowl-a-thon to raise money that will allow them to continue giving back within the community.

Agawam Lions Club Secretary Dick Lanier told Reminder Publishing the idea for the bowl-a-thon was first brought forth by one of the clubs board members in the fall. Lanier said they “took the bull by the horns” and went to Agawam Bowl with the idea.

“It was originally scheduled for October, after the Big E but then there were too many things going on,” he explained. Instead, the fundraiser is taking place at Agawam Bowl, located at 359-363 Walnut St. Ext., on Feb. 8.

He said the club has never done a bowl-a-thon before, but “it seemed pretty straightforward.”

Participants pay a $20 fee to bowl in the event. Also included in the fee is the use of bowling shoes and a lunch.

Lanier said after registering, participants will then go out and get pledges from family, friends and others they may know. The pledges, which can be as low as one cent, will serve as donations for each pin the participant hits while bowling.

Collected donations will be going to a new fund for children’s services that was recently set up by the club, according to Lanier.

He said while the club already does a number of events to give back to the children in the community, such as buying Christmas gifts and providing lunches in the summer, this account will help fund future programs.

He said while not a lot of people have signed up yet, he expects more people to sign up shortly before the event takes place.

“We have almost 100 members in the club, everyone shows up at the last minute,” he joked.

Those interested in participating can register online on the Agawam Bowl website at http://agawambowl/fundraisers. For those who may not use the internet, Lanier said to call the bowling alley at 786-4108 and they’ll “take care of them.”

Lanier emphasized that giving back is part of what the club does. “This is simply what we do, our charter is to go out in the community and find out what they need and do it,” he said.

He noted that the club is always looking for new members and ideas for new events, as the “Lions have changed a lot from the top down.”

The organization, he explained, “wants us to get out in the community and simply do things.”

“It’s not a fraternal club, it’s family,” he said. “There’s no requirement to go to meetings. We just ask people to join, pay reasonable dues and attend a couple of events.”

Lanier said anyone interested in becoming a member should contact him via email at rlanmb@comcast.net.