ROCHELLE — Small Business Bingo will be holding a spring kickoff event on April 4 from 6-8 p.m. at the hangar at Chicagoland Skydiving Center at the Rochelle Municipal Airport, Event Organizer and AP Massage Therapy Owner Ashley Patrick said.

Doors will open at 5 p.m. and Mayor John Bearrows will be a special guest bingo caller. The event will be round one of four and will benefit both the Rochelle Area Community Foundation and The Kitchen Table. The cost is $15 for 10 games of bingo. Raffle tickets will be available for six for $5. 100 percent of the funds will be split between the two nonprofits. The bingo and raffles will be cash-only. 

The following three Small Business Bingo events this year will be in November, December and January when the venue is available again after skydiving season. 

“This year's event would not be possible without some awesome sponsors for venue and supply cost,” Patrick said. “Jessica Morris from Edward Jones donated all the bingo cards for the events and Holcomb Bank, the Rochelle Rotary Club, and the City of Rochelle sponsored the venue for all four events.”

Small Business Bingo raised $18,853 for area nonprofits in 2023 with its inaugural four events. 

Patrick came up with the idea of bingo nights in the community with prizes donated by local businesses to raise money for area nonprofits last year. The four events in fall 2023 raised money for Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center, HOPE of Ogle County, Foundation for Focus House, and The Kitchen Table.

The support by local businesses and the attendance of the events surpassed Patrick’s expectations, as it saw 100 sponsors that donated prizes, raffle baskets and made monetary donations from the Rochelle community and beyond, and the first event saw 170 attendees with the following three seeing 250-300 people. Due to demand, Small Business Bingo had to move its final two events to the hangar at Flight Deck Bar & Grill, the largest event space in town.