DATE: April 07, 2006 12:32:38 PST
Shell teams Bowl for Kids
| It was a day of firsts at San Juan Lanes in Anacortes. And all for a good cause. Gary Birsinger racked up his first experience as a Shell Puget Sound Refinery volunteer, and 7-year-old Nicolas Rose chalked up the first “spare” of his young life. On top of that their team -- clad in bright yellow shirts with the Shell logo, was recognized as the top fund-raising team at the morning session of “Bowl for Kids’ Sake,” an annual fund-raiser held by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Skagit County. Shell’s team was in fact three teams made up of 18 volunteers, all dedicated to a morning of fun, fellowship and fund-raising for a busy non-profit children’s organization. Birsinger, a business analyst, just transferred to the Anacortes refinery in January. “We were invited to participate in the Bowl for Kids event, and it sounded like a good cause,” he said. It was also a great opportunity to meet some co-workers, their families and friends. Little Nicolas was part of one of several father-child teams, “competing” with his father, Flint. The big moment of his morning came when he dropped four pins with his second ball to pick up the first spare in his new “career” as a bowler. Teammate Renee Majumdar, an engineer in the refinery Mechanical/Electrical Department, bowled with a group of friends. “We’d been looking to do some kind of community service,” she said. “We really liked the idea of helping kids, and this was a great way to do that.” Robin Yates, a “veteran” volunteer with the event, came with his wife, Leslie and a couple of friends. “This is an awesome charitable event,” he said, “and it was fun to meet some of our neighbors from the Tesoro refinery.” Volunteer organizer June Snelson of the plant Human Resources Department has also participated several times with Bowl for Kids’ Sake. She noted that this year’s teams represented Shell’s biggest turnout ever for the event. At the end of the morning, Skagit Big Brothers/Big Sisters official Linda Ballasy reported that Shell volunteers came in No. 1 with $665 in pledges. “We’re grateful once again for the contributions made by Shell and its employees,” said Ballasy. “It’s wonderful to know we can count on their support for our kids.” | |
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Set and ready to go during the recent Bowl for Kids’ Sake fund-raising event were more than a dozen Shell volunteers. They included (pictured above):1 pin, Tommy Wood; 2 pin, Renee Westlund; 3 pin, Sue Homme; 4 pin, Valarie Kultgen; 5 pin, Jessica Belfry; 6 pin, Renee Majumdar; 7 pin, Dave Bartelme; 8 pin, Thomas Wood; 9 pin, Gary Birsinger; 10 pin, Erik Westlund. Other participants (not pictured) included: Flint Rose, Nicholas Rose, Robin Yates, Leslie Yates, Trish Healey, Steve Whitacre, George Welch, Rebecca Wood, and June Snelson.
Seven-year-old Nicolas Rose bowled his first spare as a Shell volunteer at the annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake event in Anacortes. 
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