- December 4, 2025
The Cultural Awareness Fund, Inc., an Ormond Beach nonprofit, donated $500 to the Domestic Abuse Council of Volusia during its annual Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser, held at Back Alley Lanes VR-Cade in South Daytona on Aug. 30.
The check to Buck James, CEO of the council, was presented by William Sanchez, executive director of the nonprofit. The fundraiser was attended by local entrepreneurs, business leaders and community members, including Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. The event was made possible thanks to Maria Trent, Cultural Awareness Fund director and Back Alley Lanes proprietor, who donated the space.
“Supporting the Domestic Abuse Council reflects our belief that no survivor should face violence alone,” Sanchez said in a press release. “This contribution will help provide emergency shelter and support services for survivors in crisis, and we are proud to stand with an organization dedicated to protecting the vulnerable and helping them rebuild their lives.”
The Cultural Awareness Fund also recently appointed a local attorney to its board of directors. Lloyd Bowers, of Daytona Beach, is a civil litigation and estate planning attorney with over four decades of experience, as well as a lifelong advocate for the arts and cultural enrichment, a press release states.
He previously served for eight years, starting in 1998, in the board of trustees for Seaside Music Theater, including terms as chairman and leader of the fund development committee. In 2002, he founded the Mystic Krewe of the 12th Night Revelers, which continues to host an annual Mardi Gras Ball benefiting arts education in Volusia County public schools.
Bowers also serves on the Volusia County Cultural Council and the Peabody Auditorium Advisory Board, as the Daytona Beach mayor's representative. In 2015, he helped establish the Peabody Auditorium Foundation and received the Tippen Davidson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Volusia County Cultural Alliance in 2025.
