PROVIDING A SENSE OF BELONGING TO VETERANS

This is the second in a series of “what’s right with bowling” features that originally appeared in the “Karma” section of the November issue of BCM. Additional stories will go live on December 18, 25 and 31.

BY STEPHANIE KABETZKE

The Michigan town of Gaylord was preparing to say goodbye to Gaylord Bowling Center. A June 2017 headline on the Up North Live website read, “Gaylord Bowling Center to Be Auctioned Off.” Rather than selling off equipment piecemeal, the owners were offering the entire business: 24 bowling lanes, a pro shop, a game room, and a bar and grill.

That’s when a group of five military veterans saw an opportunity. Inspired by their service to their country and an impenetrable sense of community, these vets wanted to do more. The members of VETS, Inc. — Steve Ralston, Tony Sharkey, Ron LeBourdais, Jim Steward and Richard Edmonds — wanted to not just keep Gaylord under local management, but to grow it into a place to help combat the isolation that many veterans face.

Little did they know just how big of an impact this would have on local vets and the community as a whole. 

In addition to being a fun place to bowl, Gaylord offers services and support to the community’s veterans. Upon coming home from combat, isolation and suicide is prevalent as some vets struggle to re-acclimate to life at home, post-military service.

From financial and emotional support to skill development and assistance navigating Veterans Administration services, the center has become a place where relationships are forged and people can set aside their problems.

Director of Operations Tony Sharkey is continually shocked at the cyclical influence Gaylord has had. Within their dream of creating a place to support struggling veterans, the center has become a haven for the surrounding community and a home away from home for all.

Sharkey notes that the openness and relationships are almost instant upon a person’s first visit to the center.

“It wouldn’t work the same if it wasn’t for bowlers and the bowling community being fertile ground,” he says.

Gaylord’s mission was greatly impacted by the pandemic, forcing isolation on those trying to recover from it. But Sharkey says it reinforced the fact that “people need people, as life is too hard and complicated to face alone.”

The struggles of the pandemic helped to bring the Gaylord community together, stronger than ever — and working together to support one another and find a place to belong.

Gaylord Bowling Center recently received a grant from Home Depot that is going toward creating a peer-to-peer center, offering personal one-on-one and group support, as well as financial assistance to help vets get back on their feet and become productive and active members of the community. 

While none of the five board members were big bowlers upon purchasing the center, they have all been influenced by the bowling community they found themselves suddenly a part of. As veterans themselves, they knew first hand the struggles that vets faced upon returning home and understood the importance of community and a sense of belonging.

Now, all five are active in bowling leagues and look forward to unwinding and connecting with their bowling family several times a week. Additionally, the board members are active community members in their own right, being local leaders, business owners and mentors.

In line with its mission and services to support veterans, Gaylord Bowling Center partners with other local and national military and veterans’ organizations to further serve and support those who have given so much.

One such organization with which it partners, “Jets for Vets,” is a group that raises money for Honor Flights, dedicated to funding flights to Washington, D.C., for military veterans to visit the memorials for the wars they fought. Sharkey calls it “an incredibly healing experience, helping them to reconnect to their past.”

By giving Gaylord Bowling Center a second chance, these five men ended up giving a second chance at life to so many. Whether “regular” bowlers or veterans, neither or both, everyone is welcome at this unique bowling center.

And everyone is family.