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nonprofit organization.

The bingo nights began in June and were held weekly until the end of August. Each night of the event, attendees paid a $20 cover charge to play multiple rounds of bingo in attempts to take home a variety of prizes, which were donated by members of the community. After several nights of success in June, the organizers began inviting food trucks to set up outside the venue, as patrons were able to enjoy these unique cuisines while donating to the cause. Originally, event coordinators set a goal to raise $12,000 for the local United Way, but after totaling the event’s earnings, discovered they had almost doubled their goal. “We are thrilled to share that we raised an impressive $22,694 for the United Way,” The Dahlia Event Center Owner Amanda Higgins shared.

She continued to speak on the event, emphasizing her excitement for its success. “We were very pleasantly surprised at the turnout, the support, and the money raised. It was a huge success! The overwhelming support from the community has been incredible, both as a new business and for Summer Bingo Nights. It’s heartwarming to see so many people come together for a great cause. We are honored to have been a part and we’re truly grateful to everyone who came to support United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties. This just goes to show the strength of our community and the impact we can make when we all come together.”

United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties Executive Director Patricia Dixon also commented on the event, as she shared her gratitude and amazement for the amount of support which the community gave the endeavor. “It is incredible to see everyone come out for this event. We had a full house almost every night, as it gave families and everyone a unique and fun thing to do on Tuesday nights throughout the summer,” she remarked. “Thank you to Amanda for letting us use the Dahlia, to the participants for coming out, and for all of the local businesses and people that donated prizes – we didn’t even have to go out and ask for most of the prizes, people called and offered them, which was so amazing to see. That’s just the kind of community we live in.”

She credited Angela Lane, Sara Brown, Jordan Robins, Michael Lane, Zac Moore, Beth Bush, and others for leading the event, which she said was the perfect beginning to the organization’s annual fundraising campaign, which officially kicks off on September 19.