Enthusiastic crowd helps Rotary Club raise money

An enthusiastic crowd cheered on their favorite mice Saturday night as they raised money to support the Poplar Bluff Rotary Club’s Good Habit Store at Lake Road Elementary.

For the 10th year, the Rotary Club hosted its annual casino night and mouse races at the Holiday Inn.

“We want to have a fun event and causal evening for the people of Poplar Bluff to come out and enjoy this magnificent facility and have a cup of my famous jungle juice I prepare each year,” said Rotarian Becky Winters.

This year’s event drew a “great crowd,” said Winters.

Among those in the crowd were first-time attendees, Joella Wolpers and Diane Pruett, both of Poplar Bluff.

“One of the girls I work with, her dad is part of the Rotary Club; she offered tickets in an email,” explained Wolpers.

Having never heard of the event before, Wolpers said, she was having fun.

“It’s fun to go and pretend gamble for a good cause,” said Wolpers. “My husband has bet on (the mouse race) every time and lost every time.”

Like Wolpers, Pruett also didn’t know anything about the event.

“My friend invited us,” said Pruett, who indicated she didn’t know about “the rat race. It was pretty neat.

“It’s been fun. We need stuff like this to do in Poplar Bluff.”

The fundraiser, according to Winters, is used to “primarily support our Good Habit Store at Lake Road Elementary.”

“We have the mouse rases,” she said. “We do have some folks who come out primarily for that.

“It’s pretty exciting. Of course, the casino games are the headliners, 21 blackjack, roulette.”

The event also featured one table of Texas hold-em.

“Our proceeds are primarily generated from ticket sales and sponsorships,” such as mouse race, table and event sponsorships, said Winters.

Being partners with the Rotary Club since 2012 has been good for Lake Road, said its principal, Erica Weadon.

The Good Habit Store, she said, resulted from officials brainstorming ways to “figure out what we could do to increase attendance.

“(The club) was able to provide a store for our kids to spend their attendance points. … It has definitely helped a lot.”

Lake Road’s attendance, Weadon said, is now “well over 90%” thanks to its partnership with the Rotary Club.

Weadon said her students look forward to the Good Habit Store every month.

High school students through Americorps and Rotarians actually shop with the children, said Weadon, who described it as a good mentorship opportunity.

The students make a connection, and some, Weadon said, will only shop with a particular person because of that connection.

Many of the students at Lake Road, according to Winters, do not have access to extra-curricular activities, live in poverty and don’t have parent involvement.

“The Rotary Club felt lead especially to be helpful for all those reasons,” Winters said.