(Photo from PFLAG Greater Orlando’s Facebook)
ORLANDO | PFLAG Greater Orlando raised $3,000 at a charity bingo event hosted by Hamburger Mary’s in Downtown Orlando March 2.
In addition to bingo, PFLAG also ran a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction.
Hamburger Mary’s owner John Paonessa says he tries to host charity bingos like PFLAG’s several times a year. He is grateful for the success he’s had with his business and wants to use it to help others, like PFLAG, raise funds and grow.
“I think it was a huge success. We had about 83 people come, during the middle of a week,” Paonessa says. “I’m proud of the fact that we were able to get that many people out.”
PFLAG hosts similar events twice a year to raise funds. As a nonprofit, they put the money toward resources for LGBTQ people in the Greater Orlando area and future event planning for PFLAG.
“The more that we can raise, the better off we are,” PFLAG board member Ann Grimes says. “Our ultimate goal, down the road, if we ever make enough money, is to sponsor a family for therapy. If we can grow our footprint and our checkbook, we would love to do more for families out there.”
Grimes adds that bingo winners receive PFLAG merchandise and gift cards to several different LGBTQ-friendly places, like Hamburger Mary’s.
“I love the event itself,” Grimes says. “I love walking around to the tables and seeing everyone having a good time.”
The charity bingo was hosted by Central Florida WAVE-winning drag queen Trixie Deluxxe. Paonessa was happy to have Deluxxe as the host, saying it was great to have her there helping out, despite the recent attacks and laws giving drag queens a bad name.
“I’m happy that we could do what we do. Things like this charity bingo, where it is hosted by a drag performer and doing good things for people in the community, really has to be seen as well,” Paonessa says. “They are an important part of the community as well and I hope that we can put a spotlight on that at Hamburger Mary’s.”
PFLAG showed their appreciation with a post on Facebook after the event, writing “Thank you to everyone who attended and made this event unforgettable! We also want to give a huge shoutout to all of our sponsors who helped us make this event possible!”
PFLAG is the nation’s first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating and advocating for LGBTQ people and those who love them. Founded in 1973 by a mother and her gay son, PFLAG was born from the unified front of a family leading with love. Today, PFLAG’s network consists of hundreds of chapters and more than 325,000 members and supporters.
For more information on the Greater Orlando chapter of PFLAG, visit GOPFLAG.org.
