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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Ottumwa’s Bridge City Bowl was full of pink, Oct. 10, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It was the ‘Bowl for the Cure’ event. The Ottumwa Women’s Bowling Association started the event three years ago, with ten teams bowling in the tournament. This year’s event brought in 19 teams.

In honor of the event, Bridge City Bowl donated the lanes for free, and the $150 registration fee for each team went straight to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The day was close to organizer Nancy Butler’s heart.

“I just found out a friend of mine died last night from breast cancer,” she said. “If you wait too long, it’s going to advance quicker than you can even think about it, so getting your yearly exam is the first line of defense. That’s the reason we do it, we want to get rid of breast cancer. A lot of the money that we give to the Komen Foundation, I have been told, goes to people who do not have the monies to get their own exam every year; the mammogram. And, this is not only women we’re talking about; it affects men just as well. So, that’s the reason we do it.”

The event also hosted a raffle, and pink cookies were sold in order to raise more money.

“We have given the Komen Foundation over $2,300 both years and we’re hoping to make more this year,” said Butler.