Everyday Heroes
by Arlene Jensen
Benita Hynes
When Benita Hynes retired from a fulltime, paying job in 2001, she had no idea how much fun she could have working for no money through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP).
After 25 years of toiling at a local factory, Hynes says, “One day I realized I had just had enough. When I walked out the door, it was the greatest feeling in the world. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.”
Now four years later, Hynes, 66, has a long list of volunteer activities, but concedes her favorite is helping out with bingo games sponsored by Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services, Inc. (KAFASI) to raise funds for RSVP.
Games are offered every other Thursday at the Moose Club, 3002 30th Avenue, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Open to the public, games are played for prizes.
But during the annual Kenosha County Fair in Wilmot, August 17-21, KAFASI Bingo really takes off with its bingo tent operating each day from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
“We are in a great location this year,” Hynes says, “much more visible than last year’s fair and we should do very well.”
Though she occasionally calls numbers at the games, Hynes is well known to regular players as the “Pull Tab Lady.” For KAFASI she sells the 50 cent pull tabs that offer a chance for monetary prizes.
Pull tabs are not part of the bingo games, she says, “Just something extra to make more money to help support KAFASI.”
Bingo players take their sport seriously, Hynes says, and she gets to know the habits, sometimes obsessions, of the participants.
Some insist on sitting in exactly the same spot every time. Some bring good luck charms. It is not uncommon to see a statue of a horse or a monkey sitting next to a Bingo card. Sadly for players, there is no proof the charms actually bring good luck, says Hynes.
When Hynes joined RSVP after retirement, she tried a variety of volunteer jobs before she settled on several that she enjoys.
“When I first decided to volunteer, I thought maybe I could help out at an assisted living facility, but it just wasn’t a good fit for me. I was not comfortable with it. But RSVP has a whole list of ways you can help, so I tried some other things,” she says.
Her activities include the KAFASI sponsored “Walk for the Health of It” and she was a “victim” in the recent mock disaster drill at the UW-Parkside fieldhouse.
Hynes is also completing the nine week “Citizen’s Academy,” sponsored by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department to make citizens aware of the workings of the department.
“It is so enlightening. You learn what really goes on behind the scenes,” Hynes says. “We got to shoot guns and boy, did I ever do some good shooting.”
A nighttime “ride-along” with a deputy was a highlight of the course, she says. After “graduating” from the course, Hynes said she may become a Sheriff’s Department volunteer.
Hynes recruits other seniors for RSVP by explaining the flexible system for volunteering. “There are so many places to work. You don’t need to spend thousands of hours. If you can spare two hours a month to answer phones, they can use you.”
A member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Hynes is active in a church group known as the M & M’s, short for Magnificently Mature. The group meets once a month for lunch. She also helps out at the polls on election days.
Besides her volunteer activities, Hynes finds time to keep up with her busy family, three daughters and three grandsons.
Daughter Evelyn is married, lives in Michigan with her husband and three sons. Marquita is married and lives in Chicago. Stephanie, the youngest, is single. She recently moved to Virginia to accept a job in airport security at Dulles Airport.
Hynes notes that persons who volunteer to help out at the Kenosha County Fair Bingo Tent get a free pass to the fair for every day they sign up to work.
KAFASI needs 18 volunteers per day to work three hour shifts in the bingo tent. Volunteers will sell Bingo cards, verify Bingos, pay winners and sell refreshments.
Donations are also needed to help KAFASI pay for the rental of the tent, tables and chairs. Donations may be sent to KAFASI, Attention: County Bingo, 7730 Sheridan Road, Kenosha, WI, 53143.
Anyone wishing to volunteer should call Dana Tehako-Esser at 262-658-3508, ext. 120.
