Bingo for the Grove co-chairs, Julianna Robinson and Carmen Patty
The Orange Grove Center is a private nonprofit organization serving adults and children with intellectual and/or disabilities. Founded in 1953 by a group of Chattanooga parents and community leaders who were seeking services for children with disabilities, the Orange Grove Center partners with local businesses to provide jobs, as well as transportation, for the people it serves and more.
Among those founders was the late Janet Strang, a long-time resident both Lookout Mountain and Summertown on Signal Mountain. The list of folks who have been involved with Orange Grove is long, ranging from Max Bahner, Skip Nardo and Larry Cash to Thomas A. Caldwell Jr. and the entire Kent family of Lookout Mountain.
Now a new generation is stepping up to continue the support, adding energy and savvy and a whole lot of fun to the organization, starting with a major fundraiser, Bingo at the Grove. Not exactly your granny’s bingo, this event features a delicious seated dinner, table-side bar service, music, dancing, and a crazy-fun signature bingo game with cash prizes!
Now on its third year, Bingo for the Grove raised over $125,000 for Orange Grove last year. These funds directly benefit transportation needs and enrichment programs in so many ways. Monies raised also support a salaried, full-time position necessary to re-launch Special Olympics teams and help with community involvement.
Truly, Orange Grove Center touches many people in our community in many different ways. Laura Carmichael Probasco, who helped create Bingo for the Grove and co-chaired it the past two years, has a dear family member, “Uncle Doug,” who has been at Orange Grove for 46 years. The positive impact Orange Grove has had on Laura’s family is the reason she is involved. In 2021, Laura set out to find someone who could help her co-chair Bingo for the Grove, so she enlisted Hallie Haley. Hallie had just moved to Lookout Mountain from Washington, D.C., and was looking for ways to get involved in the community. Hallie was immediately drawn to Orange Grove and its mission. Last year, Laura and Hallie recruited Alicyn York to help with the chairing responsibilities, and in fact, Alicyn had attended the inaugural Bingo for the Grove with her husband, Garnett Decosimo, and was eager to raise awareness for this fantastic organization.
Julianna Robinson, along with Carmen Patty (vice-chair), Laura Probasco and Hallie Hailey (sponsorship chairs), Julia Bursch (vendor relations chair), Conley Crimmins (silent auction chair), Emma Grace Shannon (social media chair), Mary Clare Holm (decor chair), and Rayvn Cartwright (program chair), are planning the 2024 event, which promises to be a fantastic evening. Each of these committees is jampacked with committed folks who are working their hardest to support this important organization.
Bingo for the Grove will take place at the Hunter Museum of American Art on Saturday, Aug. 10. Just like the previous events, the 2024 bingo extravaganza promises to be as much fun as it is important.
“Our goal this year is to raise $150,000 for Orange Grove Center,” Julianna said. “This year’s event will be tented on the River Terrace at the Hunter Museum, which gives us the exciting ability to accommodate more guests. We can sell more individual tickets, as well as more sponsorship tables. Tickets will be $200 per ticket and will be available for purchase June 10. The majority of tickets have been sold, but there are several remaining – enough for you and a few of your friends!
Contact Julianna Robinson at julianna.robinson@sq1realestate.com for more information and for sponsorship opportunities. Get tickets at https://www.orangegrovecenter.org/bingo-for-the-grove.
Remember when I said this is not your granny’s bingo evening? I may need to take that back, depending on the age of your grandma. The theme is “Palm Royale,” so glamor up your make-up, tease that hair and channel Kristin Wiig as you not only secure your seat at this fantastic event in your 1960s get-up, but truly make a positive difference.
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Ferris Robinson is the author of three children’s books, “The Queen Who Banished Bugs,” “The Queen Who Accidentally Banished Birds,” and “Call Me Arthropod” in her pollinator series “If Bugs Are Banished.” “Making Arrangements” is her first novel. “Dogs and Love - Stories of Fidelity” is a collection of true tales about man’s best friend. Her website is ferrisrobinson.com and you can download a free pollinator poster there. She is the editor of The Lookout Mountain Mirror and The Signal Mountain Mirror.
Ferris Robinson