Bowlers raise money for warming station

CONNEAUT – Every night for nearly a month, Executive Director Brenda Nadeau and the volunteers at the Hope Center Warming Station did everything in their power to ensure a portion of Conneaut’s community had a way to escape the bitter cold of Northeast Ohio.
The group took joy in its ability to help others during those difficult days.
“We are the only warming center in Ashtabula County currently and, man, it’s a blessing to be able to be a blessing,” Nadeau said. “It’s the greatest feeling and accomplishment in the world to be able to help people in their time of need and bring them a little bit of hope when you know they feel despair, and that’s just awesome.”
Through the inaugural Hope Center Warming Station Bowl-a-Thon at El Camp Lanes on Sunday, March 15, the volunteers invited the community to feel just a little bit of the joy of helping others.
“Today, has been outstanding,” organizer Robert Glover said. “The community support has been overwhelming, and we are just grateful. We’re grateful for our community, the people who supported us, such as the Gazette and the Conneaut Police Department K9 unit and the FOP. The list of community partners in this event goes on and on, and we’re just so thankful that they were willing to spend their day with us, spend their money and help us help people less fortunate than ourselves.”
There were 35 teams of four bowlers signed up for the event with 41 individuals, businesses and organizations sponsoring lanes.
“It’s just overwhelming,” Glover said. “It nearly brings me to tears to see people that just care so much about our community and helping out. We’re grateful for that.”
The event included two sessions of two hours of bowling, a basket raffle and a 50/50 drawing,
“I can’t say for sure (how much money was raised), but I want to guess between $5,000 and $6,000,” Glover said. “I just can’t put words to it. We’re a total volunteer organization. No one gets paid, so every dime we collect goes to help the community that we’re trying to serve, mainly the homeless population, but also it’s displaced people. Maybe someone’s house burned down and they need help. Maybe they got their utilities shut off for whatever reason, and they need a place to stay for the night because it’s cold.”
Nadeau and the volunteers were taken aback by the community’s support.
“We did (have a tremendous turnout),” Nadeau said. “We are extremely grateful for all of our supporters, the community, all of the businesses, our police officers, the K9 unit. The community really showed up and supported us and we are so grateful.”
The Hope Center Warming Station assists a vulnerable portion of the community.
“We help the homeless, those who are experiencing temporary homelessness, maybe just due to a loss of job, or have some unforeseen circumstances,” Nadeau said. “We help families who maybe have been displaced because of a house fire, or just some special circumstances. If their power went out and they need some place warm and safe to be, then we help them, too. Really, we help anyone who needs help.”
The fundraiser will provide vital funds for the warming station.
“This is going to be huge because we are 100-percent community-funded,” Nadeau said. “We have not received any grant money, government money, anything like that. We are 100-percent community-funded.”
The money will allow volunteers at Hope Center Warming Station to purchase everything they need to fulfill their mission.
“We can buy whatever our population needs,” Glover said. “It might be socks and underwear, it might be blankets. It might be whatever we don’t get donations for. It might be to provide a hot meal, whatever we don’t get donations of, that’s where this money will come in.”
The volunteers will be able to purchase the obvious items to help keep people warm during the winter, but also items many people might not think are helpful.
“We’ll do all of our warming items, which are hats, coats, gloves, scarves, hot hands,” Nadeau said. “In addition to that is tents, tarps, rope, thermal blankets, thermal tents and things on that order, anything to help you survive the cold months.”
Nadeau also expressed her gratitude for the support of The Rock Church in Conneaut.
“I’d like to thank The Rock church and my family from The Rock Church,” Nadeau said. “They have supported us this entire time, and, man, it’s just a great, great group, a great congregation.”