Bingo Fun At Britton Budd

Location: Britton/Budd Apartments

Date: Monday, April 22, 2013; 6:15 -7:30 pm

This is one of the more pleasant venues that I had been to for Bingo.  The residents were just so…nice.  I had promised myself that I would return thought it had taken me a longer time to do so.  I walked into the wonderful building that hosts this event and went over to the activities room to check-in with Veronica, our Volunteer leader.  I looked around to see the goodies that she had as prizes, and there was a wide selection ranging from the usual lotions and soaps, to a wonderful summer tote bag and sewing kit.  She had also brought some things specifically for men, such as socks and a frosted beer mug.  Nobody was going to go back disappointed. 

Look at that beer mug!

I made my way to a table and joined two ladies including Elvina, whom I had met during my previous visit.  The second lady introduced herself as Tanya.  She asked me about the origin of my name and I replied that only thing I know is that it’s Indian.  Tanya spoke with an accent and I asked her where she was from and she said Poland.  I asked if she was from a big city and she said yes, though not as big as Chicago.  I said that I was, though I preferred it over here – the weather notwithstanding.  This led to all three of us complaining about the cold wind in April and I said that I was quite done with it. Tanya mentioned that the weekend was expected to be nice and Elvina said that finally they could go outdoors soon.  I told them that I liked coming here because of the building, the location and the people.  Both, Tanya and Elvina agreed about the location, saying that the proximity to the lake made it ideal. 

In the meanwhile the game had commenced, not that it was doing either of us any good.  But as mentioned previously, the residents here are keener on socializing than competing, and so we were chatting quite a bit.  I learned that Elvina and Tanya were ‘workout buddies’.  This was another rare thing, to find residents who actually did something outside of group activities.  In fact, Tanya was helping Elvina with her Bingo board, making sure she got all the numbers.  After having seen some of the other Bingo games that get quite competitive, this was extremely refreshing.  As other people started winning prizes, they were taking the usual things like tissue paper and other household items.  I asked Elvina if she had a favorite number and she said it was 8 since February 8^th was her birthday.  Every time the number 8 was called, I would look at Elvina and she would nod.  Very soon something unexpected happened – Elvina actually won.  As soon as I saw that she had her Bingo, I almost yelled out in triumph.  I told her to choose the prize wisely Elvina picked a hand sanitizer.  There were still a lot of prizes on the table and we had a long way to go.

I Won!

I have participated in Bingo at several places and in many of those locations; I do not play myself, preferring instead to help the residents.   But even when I have played, I have never won.  That was until tonight.  I noticed that I was indeed getting close and lo and behold, I had Bingo.  I subtly pushed my card towards Tanya and asked her to call out.  She asked if I was sure and when I said yes, she announced her Bingo numbers and went and chose a ‘Word Search’ book.  “Something for the mind”, she said and I couldn't argue against that.  If that was a first for me, something else, which had never happened before took place – Veronica asked me if I would like to call the game.  In fact she had been giving all other volunteers and opportunity to do so, and I was going to be closing out tonight’s session.  I got up and told Tanya and Elvina, “Prepare to Win!” 

As I started calling, I noticed that some of the numbers on the balls were worn and I had to really look closely at it.  When someone yelled Bingo, I would say “Prove it”, a phrase I have heard someone else say at another Bingo game.  One gets to watch the people when you are calling and you can notice interesting characteristics.  For instance, one of the ladies had an interesting ritual when I would call 66, as if she was brushing away ‘Nargles’.  During one game, I was pulling out only even numbers, which led to one guy saying I should also call some odd ones.  I told him that nature loves symmetry and so there was nothing wrong with even numbers, at which he laughed.  In the meanwhile, prizes were flying off the table, but no one was taking the beautiful tote bag or the beer mug.  One lady even took the men’s socks before these items.  One of the resident’s, Joe, had his eye on the beer mug and when there were just 2 prizes left, I looked at him and said that the mug was for him.  He said no, it was for his best friend, and flexed his arm, making a motion of drinking.  I suspect he would make for an excellent companion in a bar. 

Very soon, a resident called Bingo and took the beer mug, leaving the bag as the final prize.  I looked at Joe, who shrugged his shoulders.  I said that the bag may be magical and perhaps he could reach inside and get whatever he wants.  Joe enjoyed that joke and laughed a lot.  But alas, it was not to be.  Elvina won the final game and took the bag.  I had done a decent job of calling the game and shook hands with Joe before he left.  I told him that next time we should have real beer instead of playing for a mug; a motion that he seconded immediately.  I told Veronica before leaving that this was truly the best Bingo program through Chicago Cares.  The residents even ask each other's permission before picking a gift.  Really, who does that?  If they are not careful, they may even run the risk of being called friends!

*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy