A Conversation With … Keegan Standage

Last updated 9:06 a.m. Feb. 28.

The Kitchen Inc. recently held its Bowl-A-Thon with your company. Logistically, how do these events work?
They come and bowl a certain amount of games. They can add a silent auction to their fundraiser. They can add things like colored pins to the 10 pins they’re shooting at and people can win a prize. They can get prizes donated from the community. We have a set price for fundraisers and that varies depending on the day of the week and time. Typically, it’s a weekend or Sunday night. On the weekend, it’d be $20 per hour, per lane, depending on if they’re tax exempt and how many lanes. If they’re paying per game, it’s $2.50 or $3 per game. We always do free shoe rental. They set their prices, what they charge per bowler or per team. The groups know their customer base the best, and they keep the difference.

What can organizations do to maximize this type of event?
It’s a really easy way to make some money for your group. We see a lot of fundraisers. Some do really well and others not as well as they hoped. The key thing they can do is take their best people and not put them all on one team. If you have five really strong people, put them on five teams rather than one really strong team. They usually bowl two or three games.

How much do they usually raise?
It varies from group to group and how many people they have. We just finished hosting The Kitchen’s Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser. They’ve done it over 20 years, and they just went over the $1 million mark.

What other organizations do you host?
We do a lot with the Knights of Columbus, which is for The Kitchen. We do several bowl-a-thons throughout the year with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. There are several organizations in Springfield where the employees, like at Dillons, do a lot. We do a fundraiser for the Missouri State University men’s soccer team. That’s always a big one. A Sporting Chance, Special Olympics and then just small groups like Relay For Life groups will come in – church groups, different school teams.

On average, how many fundraisers do you host a year?
Between both our centers, we’ve got something that we host every couple of weeks. We don’t have a specific number, but they’re consistent. I’m always working with a group and helping them schedule something.

Is this unique to Sunshine Lanes and Enterprise Park Lanes?
It’s something that’s industrywide. It’s something we strive to do. It helps give back to the community and lots of bowling centers do it across the board.

What do organizations view as the main benefits of bowling fundraisers?
I think it’s something lots of organizations have been doing for a long period of time, and what’s so great about bowling is that everyone can participate. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a wheelchair or 3 years old – anybody can be a part of that team. Also, we never get rained out. You’re asking people to come and have fun with you on the weekend.