FLORIDA WILD MAMMAL’S BINGO NIGHT

By LINDA ANN McDONALD Correspondent

Florida Wild Mammal Association, a non-profit organization who helps injured and orphaned wildlife, celebrated its 29th birthday by way of its first music bingo fundraiser on Thursday, Aug. 3 to a full house at the 30 Palms in St. Marks.
Singing and dancing to country classics and food were enjoyed by attendees while DJ Tim Griffith kept the songs and fun going. Bingo prizes included gift certificates to local restaurants as well as door prizes.
Board Member Jane Tillman said, “This event is mainly to get more people acquainted with what we are all about. We have the greatest community services that an organization can provide. Wakulla is known for its wonderful environment, pristine coastline and with that comes wildlife that needs help; we want to see them thrive. We need people who love animals, and we hope they join us in our mission.”
Robin Ruby-Edwards, Board member and volunteer since she was 13 years old, finds the event “a great opportunity to show the community what FWMA is all about.
“Helping the animals and raising money is very fulfilling,” she says. “It makes a difference when you can look at the animals and see them say ‘thank you’ by their actions.
“We do community service hours through Bright Futures scholarships, Exceptional Student Education, Wildlife Wonders Students, court-ordered community service hours, and we are looking for helpers.”
Sponsors for the event included  30 Palms, WIP Realty, Barn’s Spirits, Beach Trader, Trident Restaurant and the Seineyard Rock Landing.
Misty and Allen Byrd, who own 30 Palms, said, “It feels good to host this event, it feels good to help, to see good people do fun things for a good cause.”
Bingo card holder Dylan Vinson said, “I came to support my friend , Executive Director Jessica Beatty and support the animals, but I really hope to walk out with prizes in my hand and help make a lot of animals happy.”
FWMA services also include Franklin, Jefferson and Taylor counties as well as Wakulla. According to FWMA, it costs approximately $219,630 to run the facility in 2022. The largest expenses were $78,720 for animal caregiving staff and $58,557 for animal diets. The average cost per animal treated was around $145. Fundraising costs are covered by event sponsorships, allowing your charitable donations to be used to directly benefit the animals.
Another event is slated for September 7th and it will be a different musical theme.
 To contact FWMA, call (850) 363-2351,  email info.FWMA@gmail.com, or visit their website at www.FWMA.org or Facebook.