Last night, Buckeyes old and new gathered at Tiki Lanes in Lancaster to help raise money for charity. There were slobs like Pat Elflein, a Miss Ohio, old-timers, and even Heisman winner Troy Smith, all bowling to help fund Special Olympics grants and local scholarships in the name of Ohio State graduate assistant Jim Cordle's Cordle Cares Foundation. The event, called "Bowling with Buckeyes," was a huge success, and all started several years ago with an idea.
In 2009, Jim Cordle was a senior offensive lineman for Ohio State, and wanting to close out his Buckeye career with a bang, he came up with an idea to help raise money for Special Olympics in his hometown of Lancaster. Cleveland.com's Doug Lesmerises wrote about the event, saying:
The charity bowling tournament Cordle planned in his hometown of Lancaster raised more than $18,000 for the county Special Olympics and provided one of the most interactive Buckeye experience for fans that I've seen.
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So you might bowl one frame with Thaddeus Gibson, the next with Dane Sanzenbacher, the next with Cameron Heyward and the next with Kurt Coleman. Or Dan Herron. Or Doug Worthington. Or Anderson Russell. Or Mike Brewster.
The enormous success of that event spurred Cordle to create the Cordle Cares Foundation, which has donated thousands of dollars to Lancaster-area charities in the name of support for local students and student-athletes. In 2013, Cordle had this to say about his charitable work:
“I went to a nursing home and volunteered in the Alzheimer’s unit and was just blown away,” Cordle said. During his time at OSU, Cordle said former Buckeye football coach Jim Tressel kept Hayes’ “pay it forward” idea alive.
“It goes back to Woody Hayes, long before I was born,” Cordle said. “When I got to Ohio State, Jim Tressel instilled that in us to ‘pay it forward’ and give back.”
Now at Ohio State as an offensive line graduate assistant, Cordle has continued his service to others, and last night was just another example of a person who, as his charity states, believing that "support gives hope." Players like Pat Elflein, Josh Perry, Heisman winner Troy Smith, and many more came out in that kind of support to bowl, raise money, and meet fans and Special Olympians alike.
“It’s just time management, you’re going to spend time on what’s important to you,” Jim Cordle said. “If you give it a shot and you volunteer, I think you’ll fall in love with it.”
You can learn more about the Cordle Cares Foundation here, and here's hoping more people follow in his (very large) footsteps.
Great night to support the Cordle Cares Foundation #BowlingWithBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ztQV4o2oF2
— Abby Spear (@MrsAbbyFun) July 17, 2016
Buckeyes former & current are in Lancaster tonight for @JimCordle63's Cordle Cares Foundation fundraiser! pic.twitter.com/Z9MjRlXo9t
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 17, 2016
Even Miss Ohio wanted her picture taken with the guy who designed the shirt #BowlingWithBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/Nmk6ajomuc
— Abby Spear (@MrsAbbyFun) July 17, 2016
