BOARDMAN — Ray “Boom-Boom” Mancini’s annual bowling fundraiser will help an ailing Boardman student and his family.

The “Bowling with Boom-Boom” event, organized by Mancini’s eponymous foundation, will be held Saturday at Boardman Lanes on Market Street. All the proceeds from this year’s event will help eighth-grader Demetrius Lockett, 14, of Boardman, who has been fighting leukemia since December.

While Demetrius is in remission from the disease, he’s still undergoing medical tests and procedures because of the havoc leukemia has wreaked upon his body. His mother and family continue to make sacrifices to keep on top of his medical needs.

“He is just a wonderful young man, and his mom is a wonderful lady, but she hasn’t been able to work because she’s got to take care of him and take him to his treatments, and she’s got a 2-year-old daughter to care for as well,” Mancini said. “They’re really down on their luck, so I’m looking forward to this event and giving back.”

Mancini started his foundation in 2016, and this will be the sixth edition of his charity bowling event. He held four before the COVID-19 pandemic, and this will be the second annual event since then.

Mancini said it’s already poised to be the biggest yet, with the largest donations he has seen so far for basket auction items. There also will be food from LaRiccia’s Italian Marketplace and a car for the family from Direct Auto Sales on South Avenue.

“This town’s great,” Mancini said. “The food is all donated, my friend Mike Allegretto at LaRiccia’s helped me out big time with that. And other foundations around the area, they like to donate. I know bowling is huge in this area, and people will show up. They like to come out, have a good time, some food and some laughs, and it all goes to a great cause.”

Mancini said he’s incredibly grateful to John Christopher at Direct Auto Sales for donating the car.

“His (Demetrius’s) mom really needs a car, because they’ve been depending on family and friends to help her get him to his appointments, and she’s been looking for a job so it’ll help her to find work,” he said.

Other proceeds from the event will help provide the family with food, groceries, some much-needed furniture and other household needs.

Mancini said the event runs from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $50 per person and $200 for bowling teams of four, and the cost includes bowling, shoes, and food. The three-game bowling windows run from 3 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

Mancini said he’s throwing in something extra for Demetrius, who enjoys combat sports like karate and boxing.

“I told him ‘as soon as you get better, and get caught up in school, and we get your home in order, you let me know when you’re ready and we’ll go down to the gym and I’ll train you’,” Mancini said.