To all of our Bowl-a-thon supporters:
This is a difficult time for everyone, including the many wonderful non-profits throughout Monterey County. Due to the Covid 19 shutdown the Breast Cancer Assistance Group of Monterey County’s (BCAG) annual March Bowl-a-thon was postponed a week before the event. We had hoped to reschedule the fundraiser for sometime this summer but after serious consideration we have made the decision to cancel the event for 2020. With over 125 participants, both bowling and taking part in the silent auction, we felt the environment was too confined to meet the level of social distancing required for the safety of all.
Our annual Bowl-a-thon is held in honor of the late Isabelle McKay Giacalone (Pacific Grove High School, class of 1982) and dedicated to supporting young mothers with breast cancer. Quite often these women are in the very stressful and difficult position of having to quit work to undergo breast cancer treatment while still trying to support their young families. The cancellation of the Bowl-a-thon does not cancel the need for the money traditionally raised at the event. In fact, with the onset of Covid 19, the need for non-profit help has never been greater. Approximately one third of the women BCAG helps are mothers under 45 years of age.
If you registered to bowl or donated to this year’s Bowl-a-thon, your money is being held in a special account and has not yet been used to fund any grant applications. Rather than issue a refund, we hope you will consider letting BCAG use your sponsorship and/or registration fees to award grants. These grants will go specifically to young mothers with breast cancer in need of financial assistance. You will receive a thank you postcard with our 501c tax ID number to use on your 2020 tax return. If you would like a refund please contact our office at 831-649-6365 and we will mail you a refund check ASAP.
We will miss seeing you at the Bowl-a-thon and are actively researching ideas on how to move forward with future fundraisers that will raise money while keeping the health of participants a top priority. In the meantime, thank you very much for your ongoing support. Without your continued generosity BCAG could not provide the critical help needed by many local breast cancer patients throughout Monterey County.
With thanks and gratitude,
The BCAG Board of Directors
