LOGANTON — The fourth annual cash bingo benefitting the SVRCS Foundation will take place on Saturday, March 22 at the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School gym, located at 236 East Main Street, Loganton.

The doors and kitchen open at 11 a.m., with games beginning at 1 p.m.

Tickets are $25, and you can contact the school at 570-725-7822 to purchase one. Every adult and child must have a paid ticket to enter.

There will also be a 50/50 raffle, rip tickets and a gift auction.

Many of the prize baskets are provided by clubs at SVRCS, community and foundation members, and the food is prepared by the 9th grade.

“The students come to help us because we’re here to help them,” said Dawn Jeffries, SVRCS Community Liaison.

Developed in late 2019, the SVRCS Foundation is composed of a volunteer Board of Directors, many of whom are educators, business leaders and community professionals.

The mission of the SVRCS Foundation is to support and enhance the development, school improvement initiatives and programs of Sugar Valley Rural Charter School.

The foundation awards grants and scholarships, and leverages community resources to support, strengthen and improve the education of students at the school.

The foundation hosts two big fundraisers every year, this bingo event and a car/tractor show around June.

As the events and more funds are built up, they hope to branch into other areas and provide more for the school in addition to the scholarships.

Over 20 scholarships were awarded directly from the foundation last year, with only 11 of those being GPA based to give all students an opportunity to earn money, regardless of academic standing.

“When I graduated the same people got all of the awards. So we try to make our criteria so that it’s not all grade based. We don’t want to discourage kids. There’s a good teammate award for showing up and being dedicated to their sport, not necessarily having straight A’s. (Everyone) should be celebrated (for their strengths),” said Jeffries.

The foundation has raised around $14,748 in funds for scholarships over the last few years.

They also award “pass-through grants” that are funded by community members or businesses and presented to students on their behalf.

“It’s amazing to see how much the students have grown. It’s very rewarding, and it’s wonderful to be a part of that. (The students) work hard, and it’s nice to be able to reward them for that,” said Jeffries.

Other scholarships presented to students include the outstanding Musician award, the outstanding artist award, the envirothon award and more.

“We hope to get some people here in the seats and supporting these students. It lets them know the community supports them,” said Jeffries.

The SVRCS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization, made up of educators, business leaders and community professionals, gathered to support the efforts of the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School.