Annual Zonta Club fundraiser set for Saturday, March 5
By AMANDA KIMBLE
TheFlashToday.com
ERATH COUNTY (February 24, 2016) – Many eager participants have saved their pennies and pocket change for a year. Others will trade a wad of cash for rolls of gleaming coins. Many of them will walk away with prizes. Some of them won’t. But the whole community wins when one organization holds its annual fundraiser.
The Zonta Club of Stephenville’s 19th Annual Penny Auction is set for Saturday, March 5. The event promises a family-friendly good time and a game everyone always enjoys. The club promises to turn the pennies into something more valuable.
“We award six high school scholarships to girls in Erath County,” penny auction co-chair Tammy Hudson said. “They currently receive $750 each. We’d like to increase them to $1,000, but that depends on the money we raise.”
Proceeds also benefit three scholarships at Tarleton State University – The Zonta Beaulah Brown Rodeo Scholarship for an eligible female rodeo team member, the Loy Patton Endowed Nursing Scholarship and one for a single mother working toward her degree.
But the change doesn’t stop there. The Zonta Club has contributed thousands of dollars to dozens of charities over the last two decades, including the American Cancer Society, Erath County United Way, Toys for Tots, Treehouse After-school Program and many more.
Hudson said the club is currently focused on making direct donations to local nonprofits serving women, such as Cross Timbers Family Services and Christian Women’s Job Corps in Dublin.
“Zonta Club International is about advocating for the status of women worldwide, both in the workplace and at home,” Hudson said. “That would include being safe from violence in the communities they call home.”
Through the years, the club has proven one thing – pocket change adds up. Club member and one of the event’s founders, Virginia Bills, estimates penny auction proceeds total more than $111,000.
With a long list of penny auction items, including cash, gift cards, furniture, tools, jewelry, furniture and more, Yvonne Jenkins, former co-chair who is responsible for collecting annual donations from dozens of area businesses, said hitting five figures should be easy.
“Over the years, businesses and individual contributors have continued to give, and the list of prizes continues to grow longer thanks to their support,” Jenkins said.
Thanks to the club’s efforts, the list of participants has also grown, packing the Stephenville City Park Recreation Hall to capacity each year.
For anyone who hasn’t played, Hudson explained the game.
“It’s a lot like bingo,” she said.
It all starts as participants file into the recreation hall and purchase cups. Each cup costs $1 and is marked by a number (1-1800).
“We’ve added a lot of cups over the years,” Jenkins added, referring to the growing crowd.
There are no limits on the number of cups each player can purchase; the more cups played, the better the chances of winning.
“We have some people who play 10, 20 or more cups every year,” Hudson said. “Then there are some who will only play one or two, but most people start with a few and buy more once the game really gets going.”
Inside each cup is a ping-pong ball numbered to match the cup. The ping-pong ball is placed in a hopper as players ready their pennies and wait for the game to begin.
It’s a fairly fast paced game, with a new prize being introduced by the auctioneer as soon as the previous one has been awarded.
“When the number on the selected ball is called, there has to be money in the corresponding cup to win,” Hudson said. “Otherwise bidding on that item continues.”
But how do players know what to bid?
“That amount is determined by the club and announced by the auctioneer,” Hudson continued. “We may have $100 cash, but the players will be told to put 10 cents in their cups. If we draw number 1,500 out of the hopper and someone has a dime in the cup marked with that number, that participant just won $100 for 10 pennies.”
Once the auction item has been delivered to its owner, the pennies in everyone’s cups are emptied into a bucket and collected by club members. That’s when pennies begin adding up.
“Last year we raised more than $9,000,” Hudson said. “This year, we would like to bring in $10,000.”
The doors to recreation hall, located at 378 W. Long Street in Stephenville, will open at 5 p.m. The penny auction begins at 6 p.m. and continues until the last prize is awarded.
The fundraiser also includes a 15-item silent auction and concessions will also be sold by the ladies of the Zonta Club.
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