Dolores Rotary Club Hosts Bingo Night Feb. 21 to Benefit Operation Graduation

Chili steam and the rattle of bingo chips filled the Dolores Community Center at 400 Riverside Ave. on Saturday as the Dolores Rotary Club hosted a bingo night to raise money for Operation Graduation’s class of 2026. The evening combined a chili and soup dinner, bingo rounds and a dessert auction aimed at pushing organizers toward a $10,000 fundraising target.

Dinner ran from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. and cost $5; bingo began at 6:00 p.m. with a suggested donation of $10 per card. Organizers scheduled the dessert auction to take place between rounds of bingo, giving attendees multiple chances to contribute while prizes were awarded.

Organizers framed the fundraiser around a single objective: "All proceeds will go toward Operation Graduation’s class of 2026." The campaign’s stated uses for the money include venue rental, high-end prizes and monetary awards meant to boost senior participation in the graduation-night celebration.

Operation Graduation plans for 2026 include a chartered bus trip to Bananas Fun Park in Grand Junction for an overnight "lock‑in" event; organizers have run similar lock-ins in prior years at the Cortez Recreation Center and the Montezuma County Fairgrounds. Staci Cost, treasurer of Operation Graduation, said last year’s trip to Bananas was a success, and this year’s bingo night was presented as a key funding push to replicate that outcome for Dolores High School seniors.

The Dolores Rotary Club hosted the event as part of a series of community-sponsored fundraisers that support Operation Graduation, and the fundraiser appeared on local promotion channels, including a Facebook event post and the local public radio community calendar, which listed the event with the notation "Event Supported By NPR." A photo credited to Staci Cost was used in event listings to illustrate the program’s purpose: giving seniors a safe, fun place to celebrate on graduation night.

Organizers did not list specific prize dollar amounts or the current progress toward the $10,000 goal in promotional materials distributed before the event; attendees paid at the door for dinner and bingo as advertised. The outcome of the fundraiser will determine how much the group can allocate for venue costs, the promised high-end prizes and the monetary awards intended to encourage greater senior turnout at the substance-free graduation celebration.

Dolores Rotary Club volunteers and Operation Graduation planners will tally proceeds from the Feb. 21 fundraiser and apply the funds to this year’s planned activities, including the Bananas Fun Park lock-in and other graduation-night provisions designed to keep the celebration safe and substance-free for the class of 2026.