While the Miami Heat racked up its 17th straight win on a recent Sunday, nearly 50 athletes of a different sort gathered at SPLITSVILLE Luxury Lanes and Dinner Lounge to kick off their “season” – The Challenge Season. These competitors are preparing for battle in The King Pins Challenge V, benefitting a hometown cause: the South Miami Drug-Free Coalition, sponsored by Informed Families.
The athletes – team captains, players and supporters – came to rally for the fifth annual bowling fundraiser on May 5, when civic and business leaders, law enforcement and area high school students will take to the lanes for fun and fundraising. Competitors will vie for The King Pins Challenge Trophy – awarded to the team that raises the most money for the South Miami Drug-Free Coalition. Funds raised at the event go directly into programs in the community that help kids make wise choices and grow up safe, healthy and drug free. South Miami Coalition Director Margaret Sotham thanked the players and sponsors – many of them returning for the fifth year in a row – for their steadfast support of the event and the work it makes possible.
“The simple act of throwing a bowling ball down a lane at The King Pins Challenge means more kids will hear the message that they don’t have to turn to alcohol and other drugs to feel good or fit in,” Sotham said. “It’s been amazing how the support for this event has grown over the last five years, and I think this will be our most successful event yet.”
Teams from Chamber South, City of South Miami, First National Bank of South Miami, South Miami Hospital and Team FootWorks will compete, as will teams sponsored by the Rotary Club of South Miami (South Miami Senior High) and the Police Benevolent Association (South Miami Police Department and South Miami Police Explorers). The South Miami Drug-Free Coalition will also field a team. Community Newspapers is the media sponsor for the event.
Event organizer John Edward Smith noted that participants in this year’s King Pins Challenge will include NBA celebrities, members of the Dolphins Perfect Season Team and current NFL players.
Hosted by SOMI Magazine and SPLITSVILLE Luxury Lanes and Dinner Lounge, The King Pins Challenge V is the capstone event for The Challenge Weekend, a slate of activities to increase awareness of the coalition’s mission and promote healthy living. Events include a Spring Sidewalk Sale in downtown on Saturday, May 4; a benefit brunch hosted at various local restaurants and a Parenting Challenge Dialogue event on Sunday, May 5, followed by The King Pins Challenge V bowling tournament and spectacular silent auction that evening at SPLITSVILLE. A portion of the proceeds from the sidewalk sale and the brunch will be given to the coalition; all of the funds raised at The King Pins Challenge benefit the group.
Additional sponsorships and player positions for the bowling tournament are still available. The public is invited to join in the fun of “The Challenge” on Sunday, May 5, 5p-8p at SPLITSVILLE. Spectator tickets may be purchased for $25 per person by calling 305-856-4037. Ticket price includes the buffet, non-alcoholic beverages, entertainment and admission to the event’s the silent auction, which features offerings from local businesses.
