SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The coronavirus pandemic has caused many business to close their doors, resulting in a big loss of income for many.
Danyelle Cleveland is an 8th-grade teacher in the Sioux Falls School District. She says helping others is second nature to her, which is why she was excited when her husband came up with an idea to do just that.
“My husband Ryan came to me and said hey, I saw this great idea on the internet that’s online bingo, and what do you say to us hosting a game to help out local businesses?” Danyelle Cleveland said.
Using Zoom, the couple linked everyone into one group and read off the bingo slots.
“What was so neat is winners got to choose what business they wanted. So when I got to tell them the story of hey this winner really wanted to support your local business, the reactions from the owners was priceless,” Cleveland said.
One of the lucky winners is Deidra Ballenger, who is preparing for her upcoming wedding.
“We are going with Nothing Bundt Cakes for our wedding so I was excited to win and support locally both ways and kind of help with the wedding,” Ballenger said.
And thanks to a $300 donation from two of the players, the impact on local businesses has been even greater than expected.
“We could not have begun to even reach out to 28 businesses without that money too, so in the end, we probably contributed, I think we calculated about $1,200 back to the community,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland has hosted two virtual bingo nights so far, with hopes of hosting another in the future.
“I just think it’s neat to see all of us come together and be excited about supporting locally,” Ballenger said.
If you’re interested in hosting a virtual bingo game, click here.
