Bingo Games Aid WW 2 Vets
Posted on December 7th, 2009
Bingo has been used as a fundraising tool by charitable and veterans organizations for decades. The increasing popularity of internet bingo has prompted many internet bingo websites to sponsor games for various charities. Earlier in the year US President Obama’s stepmother, who lives in the UK, sponsored several highly successful charitable bingo games. In the US veteran’s organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion have held bingo games to raise money for group activities and various community charities.
In suburban Chicago the Antioch Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4551 is hosting the Honor Flight bingo event. Honor Flight Chicago was founded in February 2008 and provides World Way Two veterans with all expense paid trips to the World War Two Memorial in Washington D.C. According to their website Honor Flight Chicago has flown more than 1,000 veterans on 14 Honor Flights and has planned 10 more Honor Flights in 2010. Honor Flight Chicago estimates that there are about 25,000 WW 2 Vets in the Chicago area and said the flights will continue as long as there are WW 2 Vets that want to visit the memorial.
About a dozen volunteers showed up to run the bingo event at the Antioch VFW hall. The bingo event was part of a state wide effort to raise money for the Honor Flight program. Sixty three patriotic bingo players turned up for the event and the bingo games raised approximately $1,900. According to Barb Gray of Fox Lake, a member of the Post 4551 Ladies Auxiliary it costs about $500 to send each veteran on the all expenses paid trips. Gray stated, “It is a super cause. It gives me goose bumps every time I think about it. It is the best way we can honor our veterans and take care of them.” The VFW post said it is “very probable” that the post will host additional bingo fundraisers.
Bingo has long been used for charitable purposes and internet bingo is no exception. Churches, Veterans organizations, animal rescue groups and others have all benefited from internet bingo. Internet bingo has rapidly grown in the UK while land based bingo languishes due to the smoking ban and excessive taxation. Players can help a wide variety of charitable causes and get generous bingo bonuses while playing online. Most websites offer players a bingo sign up bonus in addition to a bingo deposit bonus. Players can support their favorite charities while receiving bingo bonuses at the sale time.
