When the pandemic parked Encore for More’s popular senior trips, board members used the 2020 grant they received from the Fountain Hills Community Foundation to resume their weekly Bingo activity in spring of 2021.
“It was a great expenditure because it allowed us to start Bingo again after a hiatus of several months,” Rose Gonsoulin, Treasurer, said of the $1,200 grant. “It was important to the Town, too, because Bingo was one of the first programs to come back. It reassured everyone that we could accommodate big groups safely.”
Gonsoulin said Bingo is the most well-attended weekly event at the Community Center and has been going on for 15-20 years. The Foundation funds helped the organization purchase two new display screens, paper bingo sheets and dabbers, facial masks, sanitizers, and bottled water to comply with pandemic guidelines. In addition, volunteers conducted temperature checks and cleaned the equipment after each use.
“We had to spend $5,000 to get it up and running again so $1,200 helped,” she said.
Encore for More, a program of the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association (FHCCA), supports organizations and activities which enhance the lives of the senior population in Fountain Hills in the areas of health, recreation, and education by providing funding and other services. In addition to Bingo, programs include a Technology Learning Center, New Adventures Day Trips, Home Delivered Meals, Give-A-Lift, Adopt-A-Senior, and a Durable Medical Equipment Loan Program.
For more information on Encore for More activities, call 480-816-9645 or visit their website at www.encoreformore.org.