Bingo isn’t the be-all, end-all of senior living, but it sure makes Monday and Wednesday evenings a lot more fun at Jasper Place.
Residents of the city-owned senior residence on Friday got a chance to thank the man who helped make the twice-weekly event continue.
John Collins, whose father John Sr. is a resident at the home, said when his father mentioned that the institute’s old bingo machine had reached the end of its life, he turned to his Kiwanis Club compatriots to help.
The reaction was swift and successful.
"They said, ‘Hey, we’ll buy them one.’ It’s something that the community needs, that seniors need here. We believe in the cause, so we came up with the money and did it for them."
Though winning a quarter is always exciting, the games won’t make any of the residents rich. Collins said it’s more about the social aspect of the game that convinced him it was a good idea to continue.
"We believe that if people are active … it’s better for the seniors and if it’s better for them it’s better for the community as a whole."
About half of the residents present for Friday’s ceremony raised their hands when asked who plays bingo.
Irma Blanchette and Elsie Couch have lived at Jasper Place for several years. While the big board the accompanied the old machine was nice, but it no longer worked properly.
"It finally fell apart," Couch said. "Without a machine we would not be able to play. That’s for sure."
"We are very thankful for what the Kiwanis Club did for us," Blanchette said. "All of us enjoy playing bingo twice a week. It’s a great time. Everybody wants to win a quarter."
