Bowling with Carlos Martinez

On Thursday's Hunt and Peck, I discussed Carlos Martinez's charity bowling fundraiser that would take place that evening at Flamingo Bowl downtown, with proceeds going to Carlos's foundation, Tsunami Waves. Thanks to Marisa Diaz, the Special Events and Development Director, Joe and his friend Ryan (an Indians fan *gasp*), John, and I were able to attend. It was wonderful!

One of my favorite things about the events that Carlos hosts is that they are always very casual and comfortable. Guests at the event wore anything from t-shirts to jerseys to bowling shirts to business casual attire. But this laid back atmosphere does not just stop at the dress code. When Carlos entered with his family, he causally strolled in, shook hands, and even gave Ryan - the INDIANS fan - a playful pat on the shoulder.

Carlos is never one to shy away from fans - he is always present and interacts with everyone that approaches him. It honestly amazes me a little how accessible he makes himself. Here he is with a particularly rowdy fan:

To raise funds, Carlos brought his shoe-shining kit and shined shoes. According to Marisa, this was something very important to Carlos because this was a job he did growing up in the Dominican Republic to provide for his family. As he seems to do with most things, Carlos put all of his effort in to it, taking his time and painstakingly polishing each shoe with care.

Bowling was not the only activity on the agenda. Throughout the evening, raffle tickets and 50/50 tickets were sold. Some prizes were Cardinal tickets, merchandise, and, of course, cool shoes. Trendy Island Loafers traveled to St. Louis from the DR with shoes to sell for the event at a considerable discount.

VIP tickets were available that allowed the purchaser to bowl with current Cardinals. Jhonny Peralta and Aledmys Diaz were there to support their teammate in his charitable endeavors.

The evening was filled with a lot of laughs and excitement and overall was just wonderfully fun! Everyone involved was very kind and eager to contribute to such a good cause. Stay tuned for next year as this appears to be an annual event for Tsunami Waves.

For more information on Carlos Martinez's foundation, to donate to the Tsunami Waves, or to purchase Tsunami Waves merchandise with proceeds going to the foundation (I bought a really cool hat), please visit www.tsunamiwavesfoundation.com.

Again a special thanks goes to Marisa Diaz, the Special Events and Development Director with Tsunami Waves, for allowing us to join in the fun and for all the great work she does with the foundation!

Also thanks to our own John J. Fleming for taking on the heavy burden of being my photographer as, and I know you will never believe this, my phone was dead.