Local ‘Drag Queen Bingo’ raises money for the American Cancer Society

Relay for Life of Greene County will be holding its second Drag Queen Bingo at Moose Lodge 461, Sept. 8, in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

With a unique theme, the event sold out last year within 24 hours and is well on its way to doing so again, as only a few tickets remain for the upcoming event.

Doors open for the event at noon with the bingo starting at 1 p.m. and lasting until 5 p.m. Tickets for the event are $20 and include entry and regular bingo games.

Special bingo cards will be available for the additional $5 and will allow players to participate in all five special bingo games. Those special games require different patterns on the bingo boards in order to win.

A concession stand will be available, being run by the Women of the Moose, an organization of women that volunteers in the community. Raffle tickets are also available for baskets filled with prizes, such as office supplies, candy, movies and more.

$6,000 was raised at the event last year, and their goal remains the same for this year.

“It’s a different fundraiser for sure, but it’s a fundraiser that a lot of people have been supportive of,” Dillon Spencer, community development manager for the American Cancer Society, said. Tyler Funk, freshman history second education major, will be volunteering at the event.

The Bonner scholar has volunteered for American Cancer Society fundraisers since he was in fifth grade.

A staff partner for the event reached out to Funk and he was quick to accept the offer to volunteer. He will help to monitor the bingo event Sunday and assist in any way that is needed. Funk has personal ties to Relay for Life and their cause, with family members who have passed away from cancer. He wants to volunteer his time and help raise money for the fight against cancer for as long as he can.

Funk plans to continue to volunteer and bring more awareness to the cause, hoping to make an impact as much as the cause has made an impact on him.

The Drag Queen Bingo theme might be distinctive, but the drag queens who are helping put on the event all have their own personal ties to cancer. All four queens from last year will be back again this year to raise money for the cause.

“At the end of the day, as we say, cancer does not discriminate,” Spencer said. “Everybody has been affected by it, and this is just a different way for people to come and support the American Cancer Society while having a good time doing it.”