Surprisingly, up to 67% of American teenagers say they’d actually like to spend more time with their parents. This month, Rochester families had a chance to come together for an afternoon of fun and raise money for a good cause at the same time.

The 10th annual Strikes for Abilities event, a bowling party fundraiser for CDS Monarch, was held at the AMF Bowling Lanes in Webster. Hundreds of people came out to bowl, taking up 64 lanes in all, for the cause. Many families come back every year to contribute and have a great time.

CDS Monarch is an organization that provides transitional and employment help for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They also supply recreational equipment for these individuals — among them, the largest Special Olympics team in Monroe County. The event’s organizers say that at least a portion of the $40,000 they hope to raise from the event will go towards jerseys and other equipment for locally based Special Olympians.

Kenny Moriarty of Fairport is one such Special Olympian. He said of the event, “It’s just radical. It’s awesome. You meet new people, and you meet the volunteers. Without the volunteers, I don’t know what we would do.”

But volunteer chairperson Margie Dell notes how the Rochester community is vital to the event’s success.

“You don’t realize how many lives people with special needs touch, until an event like this comes up and we all get together,” says Dell. “It’s amazing how generous the people in Rochester, New York and the surrounding areas are. They are very, very generous and without their support we couldn’t do this.”

Those who missed out on the bowling event but want to give to CDS Monarch can visit their website to organize a personal donation.