Main story: Vets Hall’s bingo nights bring joy of game to help locals

Residents gather Friday nights to raise funds for scholarships

Photo by Keira Silver
Patti Marchlevski prepares to play bingo. She has been attending for about 20 years. Her father, husband and grandson all served.

By Keira Silver

With a friendly Friday night game of bingo at downtown’s Veterans Memorial Hall, Gilroyans always feel lucky. Residents join together to take their chances at some big prizes, while also giving back to the community.

The buzz fills the large hall on Sixth Street as men and women sit at tables in anticipation of  this game of chance organized by local Veterans of Foreign Wars. Each player has a bingo sheet in front of them     with columns and rows of numbers waiting to be filled. At the front of the hall, a volunteering vet manages the small balls that tumble in a machine, each sphere printed with a number. The “caller” selects a random ball from the tank and announces its number.

The anticipation mounting, the players check to see if that number lies on their sheet. If fortune is with them, they feel a stab of delight and use a colorful dot marker to check off that square. Fueled by the pursuit for a win, they grow excited as they get closer to marking five numbers in a row. When they do, they quickly shout, “Bingo!” before another player does.

Photo by Keira Silver

Steve Ghazi is the adjutant organizer for the Veterans Hall bingo program. He believes the COVID pandemic caused some hardships as games had to be canceled for public safety.

“The activity basically stopped for the Veterans Hall,” he said.

When the county ended its social distancing regulations, the VFW brought back the games. However, it went from having bingo every Friday to only the second and fourth Friday of the month. Doors open at 4 p.m., early bingo starts at 6:30 p.m., and regular bingo starts at 7:15 p.m. There are at least 27 games played for players to win prizes totaling $10,000 or more.

The bingo night is so important because of the funding it provides for giving back and partnering with the community, Ghazi said. The money raised contributes to community outreach, such as a student essay scholarship contest and teacher awards. The Veterans Hall was founded in 1951 and works with veterans in the South Valley to provide opportunities in the community.

“Bingo is the VFW’s primary source of income,” Ghazi said. “We use the bingo to fund our organization.”

He also views the bingo event as an entertaining night out for many community members who love to get together in their groups.

“I see it as a social event for them,” he said.

For decades, bingo tournaments have served as a fun way to spend Friday nights in downtown Gilroy. At the Veterans Hall, the spirited game creates a thrilling atmosphere, with the adrenaline rising for players as they approach a win.

The room fills with plenty of smiling faces after the caller’s loud announcement of the number, followed by a blinking icon on the large jumbo screen. Abruptly, a player shouts for joy when they claim a big win. A loud collective groan echoes across the room, followed by exclamations on how close each person was to winning themselves.

The concentrated looks of attendees mixes with laughter and chatter of the players and volunteers. Many residents, both retired and not, gather together to play this classic game in a friendly, competitive manner.

In between bingo games, people can buy additions to their bingo games by holding up a flash card. People also bring their own food and drinks. Attendees are usually locals, but people have visited from all over.

Gilroy native Nancy Villarreal Schultz has worked at the bingo nights for about two years. The Veterans Hall existed when she was a kid, and she loves seeing everyone finding delight in playing bingo.

“I enjoy doing this,” she said. “It’s a volunteer opportunity for me.”

Photo by Keira Silver

Schultz’s husband is a veteran, and she is part of the auxiliary. She has seen long-time residents and new faces alike at the bingo nights. She feels the entertainment is open to everyone, and it is a positive experience for the volunteers.

“It gives us a purpose, something to do to help raise money for fellow veterans and veterans who may need help,” she said. “This is one of the beginnings.”

Schultz knows the veterans contribute in multiple other ways to the community.

“Some of the funds that we make from bingo we give to students for scholarships,” she said. “The money is going back into the community … My favorite is giving it to teachers.”

Schultz wishes for people to attend the bingo night because it helps more people with the programs offered.

Jenny De La Cueva has been attending bingo nights since 1980. A lifetime auxiliary member as the wife of a veteran, she enjoys visiting the games. She loves the friendships she has made over the years as well as the kindness of the staff and volunteers.

“Everybody kind of looks out for everybody,” she said.

De La Cueva appreciates how the volunteer veterans have assisted other veterans in finding a place within the community.

Photo by Keira Silver

“These veterans are very open to helping them start (and) helping them get their benefits,” she said. “It’s a very open and small community, so they don’t feel so lost.”

Patti Marchlevski has been a bingo night attendee for about 20 years. Her father was in the service for 28 years, her grandson was in the Marines, and her husband was in the Navy.

As a retired resident, she enjoys seeing her friends and having a good time.

Marchlevski appreciates being close to home and seeing familiar faces. However, she has seen people from all over attend bingo. She likes the game because of how it is structured by chance.

“It’s so random,” she said. “There’s luck involved because I always do feel lucky. It’s like the game of solitaire. The cards are just going to come up as they’re going to come up. The balls come up as they come up.”

Marchlevski said the bingo at the Veterans Hall serves as her “weekly night out.” Attending the bingo night makes her extremely happy.

“I see people here I haven’t seen in a while sometimes,” she said. “I really like it.”

Keira Silver is a senior at Christopher High School. She wrote this story with mentorship from publisher Martin Cheek.