HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Rotary Club will present its 11th annual Community Bingo Night on Thursday, April 4, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Anthony’s Hall.
According to Nancy Ketch, Houlton Rotarian, the Bingo Night event was started to serve as the major fundraiser for the club’s Youth Exchange Program which sends students to foreign countries on a cultural exchange for several weeks.
The Youth Exchange Program was established by the Houlton Club in 2003. The objective of the program is to advance the knowledge and world understanding of the participating students. In addition to local students traveling abroad, the program includes a reciprocal visit by a student from their host family.
More than 25 local students have benefitted from the youth exchange program since its inception and the club is committed to seeing the program continue. The Bingo Night fundraising event helps to ensure that.
“We have been fortunate to select students who have been wonderful ambassadors of the Rotary Club, our community and their schools,” Houlton Rotary’s Youth Exchange Officer Dana Delano said. “We witness a transformation in these students after they participate in the exchange program. They become more confident and the experience broadens their knowledge and interest in different cultures. They certainly make new lifelong friends.”
The Houlton Rotary Club has selected Jamie Brown and Rylee Faulkner as their 2019 Youth Exchange students. Brown is a senior at Houlton High School. She is the daughter of James and Kristi Brown of Houlton. Faulkner is the daughter of Marlon and Andrea Faulkner of Monticello and is a junior at Houlton High School.
Both students are awaiting their exchange matches and where they will be visiting through the program. Brown is hoping to go to Italy while Faulkner’s first choice is England. The two should learn their destinations in the next few weeks.
For over 75 years, students and host families have broadened their horizons through Rotary International’s Youth Exchange Program. More than 80 countries and over 8,000 students each year participate in the program, which is administered at the regional level by Rotary districts and at the local level by Rotary Clubs.
“The Houlton Rotary Club is proud to be able to provide these life-changing experiences to the youth of our area,” said Houlton Rotarian, Katie Hill, this year’s Bingo chairperson. “We hope the public will come out to support Rotary’s Bingo Night to help fulfill the dreams of more local students.”
The doors will open for Community Bingo Night at 5:00pm. Early Bird games begin at 6:30 p.m. with regular games starting at 7 p.m. Over $1,700 in cash prizes will be given out during the evening which includes a $400 Blackout Game and a Winner Take All Game. Ages 16 & over are eligible to play. There will also be a chance to win a $50 County Yankee Gift Card for those who bring an item for the Mildred Madigan Food Pantry.
Further details on the event are available on the club’s website — www.houltonrotary.org — and on their Facebook page.
