Our Rolling for The CALL, Bunco fundraiser event held on Saturday, April 14 started off slowly but ended with a bang. We had over 40 attendees who participated in one giant Bunco tournament. With the help of our volunteers we were able to obtain food donations, decorations and a great location however, there was a slight problem, I have never played Bunco and neither had anyone else! As the saying goes, “It’s a small world” and luckily I didn’t have to look too far to find someone who knew how to play and was willing to lead our participants. A very special and big thank you goes out to Stephanie Cogburn and her friend Cindy Watson for hosting our tournament.

Bunco is a simple, fast paced game. All you need are some dice, a pen and a piece of paper. A game consist of 6 rounds, during each round the goal is to roll the dice on the number of the round you are on. So on round 1 you try to roll ones and on round 2 you try to roll twos, etc. When the head table scores 21 the round is over, the winning teams move to another table and the losing teams stay behind. You always switch players, so the team is never the same. Once you complete all 6 rounds the game is over. When you roll all three dice on the same number this is called a Bunco, which you must scream out, and if you roll all three dice on the same number and that number happens to be the round you are on…so all three dice are showing 5 and it’s round 5…that’s a big Bunco and it’s automatically worth 21 points. At least I think that’s how it goes, I was too busy socializing so I didn’t actually play.

We offered a prize for the most wins, most losses, most Buncos and for a traveling item. Each time someone had a Bunco the traveling item would move and whoever ended up with it in the end won a gift. We were also blessed to provide one of our attending foster parents with a special gift just for them.

Thanks to generous donations by several local business and individuals we were not only able to provide several prizes to the Bunco players but we also held a silent auction. Auction items included a pair of Michael Kors sunglasses, from The Eye Group, lamps from Arkansas Lighting, Essential Oils basket and two Re-Pete’s gift certificates. The auction items were a big hit and several ladies stayed by their items until the auction closed to ensure they would win! We started the afternoon with heavy hors d’oeuvres, provided by Sweet Bay, Subway and Grubbs. The ladies enjoyed socializing with each other and introducing old friends to new friends.

This event was a good time for all ages ranging from 11 to someone in her 80’s. All skill ranges were represented as well, from those of us never playing Bunco to those who play with their group on a monthly basis. If you didn’t attend our recent Bunco fundraiser, don’t worry, we are planning another one soon. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported The CALL we were able to raise over $800 dollars.

With over 700 kids in care and less than 100 homes to care for them, in Sebastian and Crawford Counties, recruiting, training and supporting foster families is The CALL’s top priority. With the money raised at this event we are able to continue recruiting new homes, we can continue to cover the initial PRIDE training and follow up Continuing Education hours our families need. We are also able to provide support they need to continue their foster care journey. Things such as diapers, cleaning supplies, baby food, gift cards for date nights and many other things. If you would like information on how you can join us please email etreadaway@thecallinarkansas.org or call Emily at 479-353-0767.