In the Southside Church of Christ park in Fort Worth, a community initiative by a group of TCU students brings homeless people together.
“Bingo in the Park,” a student-led event, has become a weekly gathering that combines the game of bingo with a sense of family, community spirit and love.
There are three parts to this weekly event. Every Friday at 9 a.m., a group of local homeless people come together to share their testimonies, pray for one another and participate in three bingo rounds while enjoying hot coffee, fresh donuts and tacos.
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Bingo in the Park originated from Bingo and Bagels, a program initiated by The Net. The non-profit previously focused on assisting homeless people, survivors of sexual exploitation and low-income youth.
Now, The Net solely focuses on anti-trafficking efforts, but TCU students have carried on the tradition of the bingo fellowship.
Andrew Rietmann, a junior finance and real estate major, has been treasurer of Bingo in the Park for two years. The club is partly funded by SGA, but in order to fulfill other club initiatives including bingo prizes and birthday presents, the club uses T-shirt sales and a GoFundMe page to help cover the remaining costs.
Rietmann organized a GoFundMe page in October to raise money for the club’s operation, providing bus passes, donuts, coffee, tacos and more.
Their initial goal was $2,000, but they have currently raised over $2,300 for the Bingo in the Park community.
Rietmann said he joined the club as a first-year student to learn more about the community and meet the wonderful people who also call Fort Worth home.
“The most important thing in life is relationships,” Rietmann said. “We seek to develop lasting relationships with the Fort Worth community not only for them but for us. It makes you realize that we are not all that different.”
Kate Marshall, a senior marketing major and Bingo in the Park president, has a goal for the club.
“My goal is to make empowering relationships between TCU students and members of the local homeless community,” Marshall said. “One of the things that they feel like they don’t have access to is relationships with people who are in stable situations. I wanted to base it off that and just help create that support system, so that’s what we’re here for.”
As a way to accommodate its members, Bingo in the Park gives out awards to its bingo competition winners.
The winner of each of the three rounds receives a $10 Walmart gift card and a bus pass to ensure their members have access to transportation, Marshall said.
The Bingo in the Park community works closely with the Southside Church of Christ and Michael Craft, the church’s lead pastor.
“Michael Craft has helped to provide jobs and opportunities for those in the Bingo in the Park community,” Marshall said.
The effect this club has on the local community is substantial, according to community members.
One community member, John Turner, appreciates all the opportunities and blessings he has received from the club.
“My sister, Ruby Turner, was baptized on Monday and is now a permanent family of God,” Turner said with a smile on his face. “I wanted to say thank you. The TCU community has been behind us for two years now, and if it wasn’t for these kids, I’m not sure where she would be.”
Bingo in the Park, which began as an outreach initiative to re-establish the sense of community in Fort Worth, has turned into a family. This event has been a blessing, according to community members.
“When they say family, they mean it,” Grace Camacho said. “They are just the best people to bless us the way they do.”
For students interested in joining the club, visit TCUEngage, the club’s Instagram or fill out an application directly.
Camacho, full of love and laughter, notes the true motives of students who participate in this club.
“If you don’t do it from the heart, then don’t do it at all,” Camacho said.
