Five years ago, Keenan Porche teamed up with Gary Montgomery to turn one of their favorite pastimes into a charity celebration. Keenan, a veteran firefighter of the LAFD, hoped to take his love of bowling and use it raise money for his dearest charity, the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund. From their partnership, the LAFD Firefighters Bowling Benefit was born.
The bowling fundraiser is not only a major draw for the charity; it’s also one of its fastest growing events. Held every April or May at Corbin Bowl in Tarzana, Keenan helps with organizing the benefit and running the silent auction.
As a matter of fact, the silent auction is one of his favorite features of the special night. “We auction off a fire helmet every year. I love to see the face of the person who wins,” he says.
In addition to collecting items for the auction, Keenan simply enjoys helping out a worthy cause. “It feels good to help. The charity was there to help me when I needed a C-PAP machine, so this is my way of giving back.”
The Firefighters Bowling Benefit — which Gary insists is a not a tournament — is a great night to have fun with friends and family while raising money for those in need. So making sure everything goes off without a hitch takes a lot of planning and hard work.
Of course, hard work doesn’t scare Keenan. If anything, coordinating the bowling fundraiser with Gary each year is the ideal opportunity to combine a cause that’s close to his heart with one of his favorite ways to unwind after a hard week. But it doesn’t have to stop there.
Keenan says he enjoys both bowling and boating equally. So you can bet if he can create a way to use boating as a fundraiser in the future, he will. There’s no doubt such an event would be another great celebration for family and friends.
Sign up to play or simply donate by contacting Gary or Rose of Corbin Bowl at (818) 996-BOWL.
By Candace Nicholson