COA on track to meet annual trivia fundraiser goal
Published 9:07 am Thursday, April 18, 2019
CASSOPOLIS — A local organization has once again sold out of an annual fundraiser.
The Cass County Council Aging has sold out of tables and is on track to meet its fundraising goal of $15,000 for its annual trivia night, according to Community Development Team Lead Heidi Powell. The event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. April 27 at the COA Lowe Center, 60525 Decatur Road, Cassopolis. The fundraiser collects funds both by selling tables for the trivia night and selling sponsorships for each round of trivia.
“We added two tables this year — we have 19 — so we are really at capacity,” Powell said. “It’s really great. We even have a waiting list. … We sell out every year.”
Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the COA’s Handy Helpers program, a volunteer-based program that builds wheelchair ramps, installs grab bars and weatherizes homes for qualifying area senior citizens.
Powell said she was happy that the trivia fundraiser had sold out because it means that the Handy Helpers program will be able to continue to provide quality services in Cass County. As the average ramp ranges from $800 to $1,200, Powell said money raised from the trivia night would allow the Handy Helpers program to build at least 10 ramps.
“It is super important to allow people to live in and age in their homes,” she said. “People live longer and healthier lives when they are in their own homes. A lot of mobility issues happen as we age, and if people can’t go in or out of their homes, that really limits your accessibility and mobility. [Through the Handy Helpers program], we open the doors for a lot of social viability when we provide ramps.”
Powell said she was appreciative of the community’s support of the Handy Helpers program through the trivia night.
“The community around here is very supportive of what we do. It’s a great community,” she said. “[Handy Helpers] is an important program and we appreciate all the community does and all our volunteers do to resurrect ramps and keep area seniors mobile. … It’s a very big undertaking.”
Though tables may be sold out for this month’s trivia night, Powell said interested community members can call the COA at (269) 445-8110 to be kept in the know about next year’s event.
“It’s a really fun event, which is why I think it is so popular, and we have such an interest in it,” she said. “It’s a great night out for a great cause.”