The St. Patrick’s Day parades might have been cancelled, but the Chelsea Kiwanis Club celebrated the luck of the Irish, albeit a week later, with a virtual Shamrock Bingo evening over Zoom with more than 50 participants from throughout New England and beyond. “The Chelsea Kiwanis Club has been out front technology-wise in creating, promoting, and hosting meetings and events not tied to geographical location,” acknowledged Patti Costas, Lieutenant Governor for Division 12 of the Kiwanis District of New England & Bermuda. Chelsea Kiwanis President, Sylvia Ramirez of Chelsea’s La Colaborativa, joined briefly via Zoom from Puerto Rico where she had taken her mother for a long weekend. She welcomed all to Chelsea’s “small but mighty club” and gave her regrets that she wouldn’t be able to play.
Recent member of the Chelsea Kiwanis Club, Carolyn Boumila Vega, who is Latino CART Grant Manager at North Suffolk Mental Health Association, served as Mistress of Ceremonies and called the bingo numbers out from a computer-generated program showing on everyone’s computer screen. There were three bingo games with prizes at $100, $250, and $500, all of which were generously sponsored by Chelsea companies. Rosev Dairy Foods sponsored the $100 game; Margolis Pharmacy and Jean Brooks Landscapes sponsored the $250 game; and Olivia’s Organics/State Garden sponsored the $500 game.
The winners represented the geography of the attendees, thanks to the marketing efforts of Kiwanis member Joe Carreiro of El Potro Mexican Bar & Grill, the Club’s social media guru. Allan I. Alpert, 48-year member of Chelsea Rotary Club, won the $100 game. Kiwanian Dave Malchman from Cape Cod won the $250 game. And the $500 game was won by Deanna Wade, wife of Kiwanian Larry Wade from Penobscot County, Maine. When asked to whom the check should be made, she roused laughter when she said, “Just make it out to my husband and I’ll spend it like I’ve always done!”
A door prize worth more than $300 from State Garden was won by Diana Caso who was logged in and playing from Florida. Mrs. Caso is the mother of Chelsea Kiwanian Renee Caso-Griffin of Dunkins, and was so excited to win that she stood up and danced for some minutes.
Kiwanis International is a global community of clubs, members and partners dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time. With more than 550,000 members around the globe, Kiwanis empowers members to pursue creative ways to serve the needs of children. Worldwide, Kiwanis clubs host nearly 150,000 service projects each year.
If you’d like to join the Chelsea Kiwanis Club in its effort to help the children of Chelsea and the world, please get in touch through their website, www.chelseakiwanisclub.org. And stay tuned for the Club’s next event.