Owner of Coram Country Lanes receives Lifetime Achievement Award for helping veterans

John LaSpina, President of Maple Family Centers which includes Coram Country Lanes in Coram and Maple Lanes RVC in Rockville Centre was named the recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the National Association of State Veterans Homes, for his outstanding efforts to benefit those who have served. The award was presented during the association’s Winter Conference in Arlington, VA on February 6.  

LaSpina, 75, recently retired as Chair of the Board of Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL), the bowling industry’s oldest and largest charity, which LaSpina had led since 2014. Established in 1942, BVL supports America’s veteran and active-duty service men and women by raising money for recreational therapy programs and other services to speed recuperation and boost morale. Since 1942, BVL has raised more than $57 million for this cause.  

At the time LaSpina took over, BVL raised $600,000 to $700,000 per year for organizations serving veterans. Under LaSpina’s watch, annual fundraising has doubled, with the organization raising a record $1.4 million this past fiscal year. This significant increase was accomplished despite a national decline in league bowlers over the past few decades from about 8 million to 1 million. League bowlers have long been major contributors to the charity.  

“All of us in the National Association of State Veterans Homes would like to acknowledge the tremendous leadership provided by BVL Board Chair John LaSpina,” said Fred S. Sganga, Executive Director of the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook and Past President and Legislative Director of the National Association of State Veterans Homes. “His commitment and gratitude towards our nation’s heroes is second to none. John single-handedly has changed the way we provide meaningful therapeutic recreation to our veterans residing in State Veterans Homes all across our great nation. His support for virtual reality technology as a tool for therapeutic recreation specialists has dramatically improved the lives of thousands of veterans. John’s legacy in veteran and family support is truly outstanding and we are proud to present him with our organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.” 

How LaSpina Expanded BVL’s Impact 

LaSpina was the first bowling center proprietor to chair BVL, and he has been instrumental in helping BVL grow into an industry-wide charity by encouraging active involvement by others.  

“I was a former President of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America more than 30 years ago so I was a known quantity and I knew everyone in the industry,” he said. “I took all the relationships that I made through the years, tapped on shoulders and got everyone involved in BVL.”  

He added, “My contributions to BVL have included finding new paths to raise money. We incorporated a point-of-sale system for bowling centers, where customers can round up to the nearest dollar to support BVL, similar to supermarket charity fundraising programs. When you ask customers to round up, you are getting contributions from a much larger population [than just league bowlers].”  

LaSpina has appeared three times on the Fox News Network, most recently in August 2023, when he presented $1.25 million from BVL to veterans’ organizations. The publicity from these appearances helped lead to the Professional Bowlers Association naming BVL the official charity of the PBA Tour, which airs on Fox Sports.  

“John has been instrumental in leading an organization that allows the incredible bowling community to give back to our veterans,” said Corey Dykstra, President and CEO of Brunswick Bowling and a BVL Board Member. “John constantly keeps the purpose of our organization at the forefront of nearly every discussion we have – brightening veterans’ lives. His mentorship to myself and the team he has assembled will assure BVL meets these goals for a long time to come. Thank you, John, for your continued leadership!”  

LaSpina, who has been an active member and supporter of BVL for the last two decades, will remain on the Board and provide assistance to the new Chair Nancy Schneck. 

“I don’t believe that people should have jobs for life,” said LaSpina, who has held leadership roles in various bowling trade industry organizations. “I have been given a lot of leadership opportunities. There was a time when I was the youngest person in the room, but now I’m the oldest person in the room. I believe that when you’re a leadership volunteer, your responsibility is to do your job well and to groom others to take your place – and to know when to move on.” 

LaSpina’s Maple Family Centers Tops List of BVL Donors 

Over the years, Maple Family Centers, which today includes three bowling centers in New York and two in Florida, has raised more than $600,000 for BVL – the most of any bowling center proprietor. Each year, the company hosts two major pro bowling tournaments – one in New York, one in Florida – with all proceeds going to BVL.  

You will hear LaSpina say that “giving back is good for business.”  

“If companies have a higher mission than simply earning profits, they wind up becoming more profitable,” he said.  

Maple Family Centers’ strong focus on giving back to the community and BVL in particular began in the days following 9/11. That sunny Tuesday morning, LaSpina was at the company’s original bowling center in Brooklyn, just a few miles from the World Trade Center, waiting for a delivery of the first brand-new lanes in the bowling center’s 40-year history.  

“The truck never arrived, and papers started flying down from the World Trade Center,” he said. “The Brunswick crew that was there with me waiting to unload the truck was from Shanksville, Penn., where of course United Flight 93 crashed. One of my favorite young bowlers, who grew up at the center, decided to take that day off from his job at Cantor Fitzgerald on the top floors of the World Trade Center, and then spent every day with us afterward dealing with survivor’s guilt. It was an eerie time, and it was then that I decided that we should strive to become meaningful members of every community we serve. I shared this with our team, and my son, Joe, came up with the idea to do BVL pro tournaments, which have blossomed.”  

For more info, contact Melissa Rose: 631.882.7938, [email protected]. 

About Maple Family Centers 

Providing fun for friends and families since 1960, Maple Family Centers consists of five family-owned bowling centers including Coram Country Lanes in Coram, N.Y.; Maple Lanes RVC in Rockville Centre, N.Y.; Jib Lanes in Flushing, N.Y.; Maple Lanes Countryside in Clearwater, Fla; and Orange Bowl Lanes in Lakeland, Fla. A third-generation family-owned and operated company, Maple Family Centers is all about entertaining the community and building relationships. President John LaSpina and Vice President Joe LaSpina share their joy of bowling with families and sports enthusiasts and lead MFC in supporting the needs of the community by creating fundraising opportunities for not-for-profit agencies.