A Bingo Day to Remember at Whole Way House's Veterans' Manor

Some volunteer days are simply unforgettable. May 23rd's Saturday Bingo at Whole Way House's Veterans' Manor was one of them.

What started as a routine afternoon quickly became something much more– for our Volunteer Wave community, the staff at Veterans' Manor, and the residents themselves. With a team of seven volunteers, more than half of them brand new, there was already excitement in the air before the game even began. By the time everyone had settled in, over 25 residents had made their way down to the activity area for Bingo, coffee, and snacks, with three more chatting with volunteers outside on the patio. On a typical Saturday, a good turnout is around 15 residents. Twenty-five was a very welcome surprise.

Volunteers were kept busy for the full two hours: sanitizing common areas, setting up tables, preparing coffee and snacks, serving refreshments, helping residents keep track of their Bingo cards, and taking turns calling out numbers throughout the game. But the real highlights of the day came from the moments that unfolded between the numbers being called.

Rebekah was helping a resident follow along with his Bingo sheet– until the conversation became far more interesting than the game. The resident took the lead, sharing stories from his life and asking Rebekah about her home country. She tried a few times to point out the numbers being called, until he gently gestured for her to let it go. They set the card aside, leaned in closer, and just talked, with Bingo sounds drifting in the background. Rebekah said afterward that she almost wished there hadn't been a game at all. The conversation was just that good.

Daniela had always wanted to try being a Bingo caller, and this was her chance to check it off the bucket list. She took to it naturally, and as luck would have it, many residents won during her rounds. By the end, she joked that she had figured out how to use mind control to call the numbers she wanted.

Ivan, newly arrived in Vancouver and exploring his new city through volunteering, learned to play Bingo that day and happily helped guide residents with their cards. Near the end of the event, one Bingo winner received a set of fruit cups as a prize, but decided it was too sweet for him. He chose to gift them to Ivan instead. Ivan was so moved by the gesture that he gave the resident a big, warm hug. For someone who had been in Vancouver for only a few months, it was a genuinely kind Canadian welcome.

The energy spilled outside too. On the back deck, volunteers joined residents who had gathered with snacks and an impressive Bluetooth speaker. Among them was a resident who casually mentioned, and then proved via screenshots, that he was a background actor with credits on multiple Netflix productions. Volunteers joked around and requested autographs from him. All of this happened to the soundtrack of Dwight Yoakam's Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose and Tommy James & The Shondells' Draggin' the Line. What was happening outside was every bit as energizing as what was happening inside.

The game ran 15 minutes over time…because no one wanted it to end. Volunteers continued getting to know each other long after the activity wrapped up, riding the energy of an afternoon that genuinely delivered on every level.

We are so excited for the summer season ahead, with both Saturday Bingo and weekday Coffee and Conversation events on the calendar at Veterans' Manor. Find the opportunity on Bloomerang and come spend some time with the incredible community at Whole Way House's Veterans' Manor– you won't regret it!