Bowling + Swimsuits = Great Success

Super Bowl Sunday was about more than football for many in Hopkins. Before the big game Feb. 6, supporters of Abbey’s Hope and the children of the North Community Minneapolis YMCA bowled games for swimsuits and donated money for more at in Hopkins.

Abbey’s Hope—founded after the death of Abbey Taylor, who was  disemboweled by a pool drain in 2007—is dedicated to the hope that no child will ever have to go through Abbey’s experience.  The two-year-old foundation was cosponsoring water safety classes at the North Community Minneapolis YMCA when it became obvious that many of the children arriving for classes were not properly outfitted.  The YMCA was unable to offer anything other than bins full of old used swimsuits, which children had to sift through to find a size that fit them. 

“One kid tied a string around his waist to hold up his trunks,” said Amanda Neby, Abbey’s Hope program manager.

Neby said that while water safety is a pressing need, there is no place for North Minneapolis residents to buy swimsuits nearby. Consequently, many children do not use the aquatic facilities at the YMCA simply because they lack swimsuits, goggles or swim caps. Abbey’s Hope leaders decided to change that. Neby said the foundation wanted something fun that an entire family could attend as a fundraiser in lieu of the traditional request for money. 

As a prior sponsor of Abbey’s Hope’s 2010 golf tournament, Tuttle’s Bowling was an easy choice for the foundation’s first Bowling for Swimsuits fundraiser, and the facility donated lanes and time to the cause.  Over 95 suits were collected at the event with money for an additional 60 swimsuits donated—bringing the event’s grand total to more than 155 swimsuits and other swim gear.  And Neby hopes next year will be even bigger, adding that other YMCA’s have voiced a need for swimsuits as well. 

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Abbey’s Hope Charitable Foundation will sponsor five “Spring Into Summer Safety Events” within the next few months, providing valuable water safety knowledge to kids and parents alike:    

Saturday, April 30th

• 9 a.m. to noon
• Minnetonka Aquatic Center
• 17000 Lake St. Ext.
• Minnetonka, MN 55345

Saturday, May 7th 

• 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Great River Water Park  (Oxford Community Center)
• 270 Lexington Pkwy N
• St Paul, MN 55104-5401

Saturday May 21st 

• 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Elk River YMCA
• 13337 Business Center Drive NW
• Elk River, MN 55330

Saturday, June 11th 

• 10 a.m. to noon
• North Community YMCA
• 1711 West Broadway
• Minneapolis, MN 55411

Edina Location—check website later for date and location. 

More information about future events, donating to Abbey’s Hope and water safety tips are available on the foundation’s website or by calling (612) 388-5350.