Open letter to Whitehorse mayor and council:
We are writing today to request that the City of Whitehorse provide bowling lanes as part of recreational facilities for the citizens of Whitehorse. Bowling is a very popular activity for people of all ages including several bowling leagues and many organizations and businesses for special events.
Big Brothers Big Sisters uses the current facility several times per year and provide passes to our Big and Little Brothers and Sisters. It is also the site of our “signature” and most important fundraiser of the year, “Bowl for Kids Sake,” which generates over $20,000 per year for our charity. This single event alone provides over 20 per cent of our operating budget.
In speaking with the current buildings’ owner (Chris Sorg) he said he would be willing to donate existing equipment to the city (some of which is in good condition). For a prospective new owner it may be difficult to make a business case for investing in new equipment. However, if you remove the necessity to provide a return on investment and provide a living for an owner/operator, we believe the city could run six to eight alleys on a break-even basis.
We also believe that the model of having bowling lanes operate out of a community centre (such as in Watson Lake) is the way to go and we believe the city would have the support of many organizations if you took the lead to make this happen.
We are copying this letter to many organizations as well as the Yukon government’s Department of Community Services with the hope that they will write in support of this idea and that a funding partnership is able to be formed.
Harold Sher
Executive Director,
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Yukon