Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament Raises $18,000 Dollars

Mercantil Commercebank and Voices For Children Foundation teamed up to host a successful fundraising event at Splitsville
MIAMI, FL September 20 – Voices For Children Foundation partnered with Mercantil Commercebank to host the 7^th Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament, raising $18,000 to support abused, neglected and abandoned children in Miami-Dade County. On September 18, more than 200 supporters of Voices For Children Foundation showed up ready to battle it out for the title of Champion and enjoy a fun evening at Splitsville Luxury Lanes & Dinner Lounge. Teams enjoyed complimentary shoe rental, food and beverages throughout the night, all for a good cause.
As of August 2013, there are over 3,100 children in Foster Care in Miami Dade County as a result of abuse, abandonment or neglect. Each of these children is required by law to be appointed a Guardian ad Litem representative to advocate for their best interests while they maneuver through the foster system. Currently, fewer than 2,000 of these children actually have Guardians. Voices For Children Foundation and the Guardian ad Litem Program are trying to change that. Through community volunteers, black-tie affairs and social events, Voices For Children Foundation works to secure additional funding to help close that gap of representation.
“Mercantil Commercebank is proud to have once again participated in the Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament as a Presenting sponsor,” said Mariola Sanchez, General Counsel of Mercantil Commercebank and also a member of Voices For Children’s Board of Directors. “We strongly support the mission of Voices For Children and always take tremendous pride in coming together for this event, as a company and with our community’s business professionals, to assist Miami-Dade’s abused and neglected children.”  
At the end of the night, Seaside National Bank was announced as the winning team. The Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament garnered the support of several youth teams as well as returning corporate sponsors Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP, Miami Marlins, Swire Properties, Wells Fargo Insurance Services, among many others. 
Voices For Children Foundation is a not for profit organization that raises funds to ensure that every abused, abandoned and neglected child in Miami-Dade County has a court appointed Guardian Ad Litem and that financial assistance and other resources are available for their accompanying health, educational, and social needs. Guardians Ad Litem are trained, court appointed adults who serve as the representative voice for abused, abandoned and neglected children involved in dependency court proceedings. Please visit www.BeAVoice.org.
ABOUT MERCANTIL COMMERCEBANK: Mercantil Commercebank N.A. is one of the largest banks in South Florida serving its community for over 30 years. Mercantil Servicios Financieros (MSF), a Venezuelan company, beneficially owns the Bank through U.S. bank holding companies. MSF is the largest provider of financial services in Venezuela with more than 85 years of experience. Mercantil Commercebank has assets of $7.0 billion. The Bank is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida and has 19 Banking Centers – 15 located in South Florida; three in Houston, Texas; and one in Manhattan, New York. The Bank offers a wide variety of domestic, international, personal and commercial banking services, including investment, trust, and estate planning through its subsidiaries, Mercantil Commercebank Investment Services, Inc. and Mercantil Commercebank Trust Company, N.A. For more information, please visit www.mercantilcb.com.
###