Sertoma makes difference in Ozarks

The genesis of this column began when old friend Stan Melton, of TCI soon to be AT&T called to ask me to read excerpts from my book, "McAdoo About Nothing" at a meeting of the Heart of the Ozarks Sertoma Club. He said he would meet me at the Sertoma Building, 318 S. Campbell, which has since been renamed the Darrel L. Love Sertoma Building.

Until then, I wasn't aware such a place existed. Originally the location of the old Killingsworth Women's Store, Sertomans invested $200,000 to refurbish it in 1990. The attractive facility, used primarily for meetings and fund-raising bingo, was a pioneer in the movement to upgrade downtown Springfield. And bingo nightly brings about 200 people downtown.

During lunch, before I unveiled my dog and pony show, Stan pointed out that the Springfield Sertoma Club (the original local club) also holds its meetings there. Both, along with the Cooperative Sertoma Club, which has co-ed membership, use it on a regular basis for bingo, and Ringside Sertoma, which supports Boys Club boxing, occasionally holds bingo there.

If the building impressed me, Sertoma activities knocked me for a loop. I heard members talking major league fund-raising plans, including nightly bingo and what sounded to me like the mother of all chili cook-offs. Lots of talk ensued about money to be raised for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

In a whispered aside, I asked Stan how much money were they talking about. Instead of the expected response of a few hundred dollars, he said "Oh, about $200,000 a year."

Say what?

That kind of money got my attention. These clubs are the source of $200,000 a year, actually more, to a cause as worthy as the Boys and Girls Clubs[[In-content Ad]]