ROCKINGHAM — Pins were falling at Striker’s Bowling Alley Monday evening in an effort to raise the reading of local kids.
The Richmond County Partnership for Children hosted its inaugural Bowling for Books, raising more than $1,000 for its programs.
Eleven of the 12 lanes were sponsored, but not all sponsors fielded a team and not all teams were from a sponsor.
Joanna Crump, one of the leaders of the Partnership’s Circle of Parents, was on one of the teams.
Coldwell Banker Preferred Properties had two teams, taking first and third place in the charity tournament. The team from Griffin Toyota placed second.
The first-place team included Julia Mudd, Mike Shore, Andrew Parsons and Sam Thompson.
The Partnership has been in operation in Richmond County for 28 years, according to Executive Director Dr. Katrina Chance.
“The more and more that we are out in the community, the more and more our community is aware of the impact we have,” Chance said.
She pointed out that Richmond County also has a local member on the Board of Directors for N.C. Smart Start in the Rev. Reneè Bethea of Hamlet.
The Partnership also held its annual banquet at Cole Auditorium on Tuesday to honor early care educators.
Those awarded were:
- Star-Rated 2024: Family Child Care: Grace and Mercy Childcare
- Star-Rated 2024: Quality Center: Ladybugs Learning Center
- Maintaining Star Rating 2024: West Rockingham PreK
- Making a Difference 2024: Kidz Konstruction Childcare
“To increase the quality of early childcare and education we must mobilize, visualize, and increase the professionalism of ECE within the communities we work and live,” said Chance.
