Morgan’s Mission to host ‘Bingo For Good’ for ARC Park improvements

By Cheyenne Thomas Since 2021, Morgan’s Mission of Spencer has made it their goal to support children in the Spencer area and community projects. Through its fundraising, the organization has worked to improve the community and give students opportunities they would not otherwise be able to have. After a year hiatus, Morgan’s Mission is back and will host a “Bingo For Good” fundraising event on March 15, with the proceeds going towards improvements in the ARC Park in the village.

The Bingo For Good event will be held all day on March 15 at the Uptown Plaza at 900 N. Pacific St. in Spencer. Beginning at 11 a.m., there will be various activities throughout the day that individuals and families can participate in. Starting at noon and ending at 4 p.m., there will be a freewill offering spaghetti meal, along with a children’s carnival and raffle baskets. Starting at 2 p.m. and running until 4 p.m., there will be a bingo event put on with the Spencer Community Boosters, with the funds raised from there going towards their ongoing construction project to add bathrooms to the Spencer ARC Park.

“The Spencer Community Boosters have been working on a big park project at the ARC Park,” said Becky Gorst, the founder of Morgan’s Mission. “So the bingo is part of a bigger event. The funds raised from that will be going towards completing the bathrooms at the ARC Park. Those are expected to be completed in June.”

In addition to the fundraising for the ARC Park with the Spencer Community Boosters, the fundraiser will also serve as the fundraiser for Morgan’s Mission this year. In the past, Becky said, they put on an annual fundraising event in May, but have decided to move the event to not only accommodate those who become busy in the summer months, but also to honor Morgan Gorst, the organization’s namesake and son of Becky who passed away in 2020 at the age of 13. He was a passionate lover of sports and had wanted other kids to be able to enjoy them. Morgan’s Mission continues that goal in his memory.

“We had a band in May and a fundraiser with a kickball tournament,” said Becky. “But the summers are so busy for a lot of people so we deiced to move the event to March. March 13 was Morgan’s birthday, so we figured to always do the weekend around his birthday from now on for events.”

With the funds raised from the event each year, Becky said she hopes to continue to have Morgan’s Mission work towards its goal to provide for the needs of the community and its students. Since they first founded the organization, Morgan’s Mission has helped 25 students from the Spencer School District and other local schools be able to afford sports equipment and other things to be able to participate in extracurricular activities they may not otherwise be able to afford.

“Morgan’s Mission works to provide for students to be able to have opportunities they may not otherwise have,” said Becky. “We do a lot for providing sports equipment, like if someone can’t afford cleats or a glove. There are organizations that often cover athletic fees, but not one that provides for the other things that students would need to be able to participate in things like athletics. These kids often know how hard their parents struggle to afford things, so maybe they won’t ask for equipment or they just won’t play. That is the primary goal of Morgan’s Mission, to help these kids be able to afford these opportunities.”

The second goal of Morgan’s Mission, Becky said, is to provide for the needs of people in the community. Since they started, she said the organization has helped six community organizations with projects. They have also donated funds to St. Jude and the Catch-A-Dream Foundation to help with cancer research.

“There are a lot of community needs,” said Becky. “There are instances where a person needs 500 bucks to get along. They could use some help. We have given to those causes as well.”

In total, Becky estimates Morgan’s Mission has donated more than $25,000 to various causes since they started in 2021. For her and everyone who helps run Morgan’s Mission, the community support is something that is greatly valued and the mission is their way to pay it forward for the community’s past support.

“When Morgan was sick, the community came together for us,” she said. “Now we want to be able to give back.”

In addition to the events from 12-4 p.m., drawings for the raffle will begin at 8 p.m. The band, Rising Phoenix, will perform from 6-10 p.m. For the bingo event, the event is limited to 100 spots and will include cash prizes between $50-200. To reserve a spot for bingo, contact Becky by messaging on Morgan’sMissiononFacebook orby emailing becky.gorst@spectruminsgroup.com.