Community Corner
Monday Night: Huntley Bingo
Local charity effort raises money for cancer patients and their families, while providing fun, food and entertainment for the community.
Marianne Ricciardi started the Huntley Bingo night at the American Legion Hall five years ago to help people, and their families, suffering from Ewing's Sarcoma.
Ewing's Sarcoma is a cancerous bone tumor that affects children.
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It has been a struggle to keep the not-for-profit charity effort above water, Ricciardi said. With no money to buy advertisements, the fundraising program has relied upon word-of-mouth and free publicity.
As an incentive to draw more players, Ricciardi added a free dinner to the Monday night bingo game once a month.
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“Sadly, I saw that for some, this served as the best dinner they had all month,” Ricciardi said. “Suddenly, I had a very different picture of what this event was becoming. So, we made it more affordable by dropping the package price to just $10.”
Huntley Bingo has now incorporated a free meal into most of the Monday games with Ricciardi cooking the main dishes and some players also generously bringing along food to share.
Ricciardi is a retired nurse practitoner. She said during her work years, she always made time to linger and chat with senior citizens as she recognized that some had no one to talk to all day. The Huntley Bingo night has transformed into a social event for many area seniors.
“I hear many times how much they look forward to coming and socializing as much as playing bingo,” Ricciardi said. “Everyone is friendly, and this has become a very nice weekly community event.”
There aren't many places in this economy where you can go for entertainment, have the chance to win cash prizes and eat for $10, Ricciardi said.
“There are many weeks where we still operate at a loss, but all the hugs and “thank yous” I get when everyone leaves is well worth the efforts,” Ricciardi said.
Event: Huntley Bingo
Time: Bingo at 7 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m.
Date: Monday, Jan. 23 and every Monday
Tonight: Free buffet dinner, only $10 to play!
$400 Coverall… $100 Games
Where: American Legion Hall, 11712 W Coral St. Huntley (ample parking in East lot).
More information at www.HuntleyBingo.com.
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