More than $51,000 raised at skate-a-thon, ice bowlers top $12,000

More than $51,000 was raised at the UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s, which includes more than $12,000 that was drummed up by the eight UNMC employees and students who volunteered to be human ice bowling balls on Friday night.

The “Crazy Eight” were, from left, front row: Erin Rosenbaugh and Myron Toews, Ph.D.; back row from left: Greg Karst, Ph.D., Melanie Stewart, Paula LeGrande, Rick Boldt, Tom O’Connor and Marlene Schneider. In a period of about a week, this crew raised more than $12,000 to support the 2012 UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s. (Photo by Robin Taylor, Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience.)

The $51,000 surpasses the $40,000 raised at last year’s inaugural UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s.

The UNMC community showed its generosity as it provided volunteers, donated to ice bowlers, made other financial contributions and supported the event in countless other ways.

And here’s a special shout out to the “Crazy Eight” bowling balls, who did a tremendous job in generating donations and enthusiasm leading up to the Skate-a-thon. The bowling balls were:

• Rick Boldt, UNMC’s manager of disaster planning;
  
• Greg Karst, Ph.D., professor of physical therapy education;
  
• Paula LeGrande, manager of environmental services:
  
• Tom O’Connor, senior associate director of public relations;
  
• Erin Rosenbaugh, a graduate student;
  
• Marlene Schneider of the UNMC Faculty Employee Assistance Program;
  
• Melanie Stewart, resources manager in the Durham Research Centers and director of the UNMC LiveGreen initiative; and
  
• Myron Toews, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience.

For their outstanding efforts, all eight contestants got sent across the ice at least once and the top four money raisers — O’Connor, Dr. Toews, Schneider and Stewart — took three trips down the lane.

At the end of the competition, Dr. Toews used two strikes and reduced layers of clothes to beat out “Crazy Train” O’Connor by two pins. (EDITOR’S NOTE: How did that ice feel on your bare arms and legs, Dr. Toews?)

View more photos from ice bowling and the Skate-a-thon.