“G, 60…, G, 60…, B, 12…, B, 12…” As you enter the Mustang center, numbers are chanted through the air as the anticipation rises. The tables are filled with people chatting, fiddling with their game chips, and watching their bingo cards closely, hoping to be the one to shout “BINGO.” As Thanksgiving gets closer and the holiday season is on the way, the girls soccer team and the athletic training programs are making their annual Turkey Bingo event a new fall tradition for Mustang family and friends.

On November 19th, the girls soccer and athletic training programs held their 2nd  annual fundraiser event, Turkey Bingo. This fundraiser is held the Sunday before Thanksgiving and is an opportunity for  family and friends to gather for an entertaining night of bingo. This game was not like any other bingo game, instead of winning an ordinary bingo prize, winners were given a whole turkey or ham round for Thanksgiving.

“We have five special ham rounds and a turkey so when you win bingo, you win your Thanksgiving turkey,” athletic trainer Lisa Moore said.

In addition to fun games of bingo, the fundraiser also included a bake sale. Volunteers including parents, students, and staff, pitched in to provide a variety of fall desserts such pumpkin pie, brownies, and snickerdoodles for guests to enjoy.

“I love the bake sale because me and my parents always bake stuff so that’s always fun,” junior Leah Mrsny said.

On top of all that, several gift baskets were put together to raffle off as another part of the fundraiser. With tickets being sold at a dollar apiece, guests enjoyed a fun time exploring gift baskets with themes like golf, game night, and movie night.

“We have one that is a cozy night in, with a soft blanket, slippers, hot chocolate, soup, face masks, and all that kind of stuff for a snowy night in,” Moore said.

The fundraiser was able to raise close to 3,800 dollars to support the athletic training and girls soccer programs. With the upcoming season ahead, the proceeds will be used to assist with costs for food, apparel, and events.

“We split the money between us and girls soccer.  Ours is specifically for our students in our student program so this is what will buy their t-shirts and sweatshirts. Sometimes we will feed them before games when we have long games and long road trips and sometimes we will feed the coaches when we have an all day extravaganza. This is kind of all for that extra stuff that usually comes out of pocket and now we are just trying to find money for it,” Moore said.

As Turkey Bingo is open to all ages, this bingo game was a great way for many families to spend a festive night together. With a friendly competition, all who attended had a blast.

“We have the most fun ever and there’s just so many people that get so excited when they win a bingo, so it’s fun to see that,” athletic trainer Emma Baumann said.

With these last two fundraisers being a success, the programs are hopeful that the mustang community will return for more fun nights of turkey bingo.

“With this being the second year we are hosting turkey bingo, we are hoping that it is a growing tradition for both programs,” head girls soccer coach James Abueg said.

The programs also hope to see friendly faces from past years come back to join in the fun.

“Our hope is that even when you are an alumni and you are back home for Thanksgiving break, you still get your family together. Everyone is starting to get back into town for Thanksgiving so it’s perfect, you get to go out to eat with your family, and then the whole family comes and you play a little turkey bingo,” Moore said.

The programs enjoyed hosting an exciting night and are looking forward to this becoming a yearly event. The bingo games, bake sale, and raffle baskets were a big hit among guests and will help provide for the new sports seasons. Throughout the night, bingos were shouted and were awarded with turkeys and hams. In the next years of growing tradition, be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s Turkey Bingo.