It took all of three days for the Hillsdale County Branch of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children to sell out of tickets for its first annual Purse Bingo fundraiser.
The event will be held at Johnny T’s Bistro on Feb. 29 and will benefit the organization, which provides services for abused and neglected children within Hillsdale County.
Heather Upton, the program coordinator for the Hillsdale branch of the organization, said that CASA puts on fundraisers like the bingo night to pay for things that its grant doesn’t cover.
“There are some operating costs and other things like volunteer recognition that our grant and donations won’t always cover,” Upton said. “We put on fundraisers like this one to make sure we can.”
The event will have a baked potato bar, beverages, chili, clam chowder, and a large selection of other food options for attendees.
The event started selling tickets on Jan. 6 and sold out three days later. The tickets cost $35 each and include 20 games of bingo and dinner.
Small Town Sweet Boutique, a candy store in downtown Hillsdale, will be sponsoring the event alongside a number of other local businesses. Danielle Brock, the owner of the shop, said that she decided to sponsor the event because she believes the organization is of vital importance to the community.
“We donated a purse to the bingo night from the company, and my husband and I donated one ourselves,” Brock said. “CASA is a great organization and they do great things for the community. We’re here for the kids, and that’s who they’re helping. We felt like it was a no brainer to sponsor the event.”
The event is set to have a large turnout.
“We posted the event on our Facebook page and it seems like bingo is popular in the community,” Upton said. “As of now, there are going to be around 300 people attending the event.”
Brock said CAS is a necessary organization in the community.
“They do a lot of good,” Brock said. “The volunteers and court advocates take a lot of pressure off the kids and the families, and it’s a good thing we have them in the community.”