Special Olympics Yuma schedules first bowling tournament in August

Special Olympics Yuma will add a new fundraiser and community gathering to its calendar with its first bowling tournament, set for Saturday, Aug. 15, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Inca Lanes, 1250 W. 16th Street in Yuma.

The event gives Yuma County families a new place to show up for athletes with intellectual disabilities while also supporting the program that trains them year-round. Special Olympics Arizona says it provides sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, and its Unified Sports program brings athletes and partners without intellectual disabilities together on the same teams for training and competition.

The Yuma tournament will include raffles and a silent auction, adding a fundraising element to the afternoon. People who want more information about attending, supporting or helping with the event can call 928-580-1404 or email mnielsen@soaz.org.

Special Olympics Arizona’s River area serves Bullhead City, Kingman, Lake Havasu, Yuma and surrounding communities in Western Arizona. Across the state, the organization says it programs for more than 18,500 athletes and Unified partners, giving the Yuma event a place inside a larger statewide network of competition and training.

For Yuma, the bowling tournament also adds another visible local stop in a program that already has a history here. Previous Special Olympics Yuma activities have included track and field, powerlifting and the Law Enforcement Torch Run, building a calendar that reaches athletes, families, law enforcement supporters and volunteers in different ways throughout the year.

Bowling fits that mission well because it gives competitors of different abilities a chance to participate on equal footing while still keeping the focus on competition, teamwork and social time. With a familiar venue on 16th Street and a three-hour window in the middle of August, the tournament is set up as a straightforward local event that invites the wider community to take part in Special Olympics Yuma’s growing presence.