33.1 F
Evansville
Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Bingo with a Heart

Pay It Forward Local supports area charities

Shannon Libbert-Miller and Cindy Barnhill are all about the idea of paying it forward.

After serving in various charitable channels over the years, the duo, who are in title work and mortgage lending, respectively, saw a need for fundraising and logistics help in the nonprofit sector. Libbert-Miller went a step further in 2019, founding Pay It Forward Local, and Barnhill soon came on board.

COVID-19 delayed activity, but Pay It Forward hosted a Santa shop for needy families in late 2021. Regularly scheduled bingo nights at the Westside Community Center on West Michigan Street lifted off in 2022.

Via spirited bingo games, revenue is steered to other small local nonprofits.

“One of the things nonprofits lack is funding,” Barnhill says, and that’s where Pay It Forward strives to help. By November 2024, monthly charitable dollars reached about $12,000.

Agencies such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana, VOICES Inc., Kiwanis Club of Historic Newburgh, and Cops Connecting with Kids have volunteered at bingo activities.

“We appreciate the support we receive from our volunteers, whether they are with a nonprofit or they are family and friends, and we are always excited for others to learn more about us and reach out to see how they can be a part of our mission,” Barnhill says.

Want to play? Games usually are Tues- day and Friday nights, with early bird games starting at 6 p.m. A 12-face game sheet is $15; additional packets are $10. A nine-face early bird game sheet is $10.

Pay It Forward’s plans include relocation to 1109 S. Green River Road, with a grand opening and bingo planned for Feb. 28.

Previous article
Next article

Related Articles

Latest Articles