A buzz of excitement – the odds are good, at 1 chance in 250, that someone in this room will win big.

It’s the Rotary Club of Downey’s 10K Winner’s Night. “10K” meaning someone is guaranteed to win the $10,000 prize. It’s “Winner’s Night” because the evening specifically benefits all the club’s local Downey projects. The money raised at the 10K Winner’s Night stays in Downey.

The first sight on entering the banquet room at the Embassy Suites was Rotarian Jenette Lopez sitting cross-legged on the floor, her auburn hair done up on top of her head and a look of intense concentration on her face.

Jenette had the key job of being sure all the numbers called were entered and projected on the big TV screen. The 10K is a game of reverse selection: every number of the 250 sold is called, and the winner is not the first, but the one with the very last number remaining at the end of the evening.

Consequently, it’s a party where everyone stays interested till the end, when the climax of calling numbers arrives.

Jenette’s husband, Past President Alex Lopez, was making sure each numbered chance sold was present and accounted for in the hopper, before the drawing began. The task of announcing each number as it was eliminated went to Ray Brown.

Ray had 250 numbers to call in an hour and a half, so that’s 250 names in 90 minutes. Silver-tongued Ray had to speak above the din of the crowd to do it, and Ray was up to the task.

Maurice Casaus, manager of the Embassy Suites and president-elect of the Rotary Club, was our host. We were treated to a delicious Italian-themed buffet of lasagna, Italian sausage with red and green peppers, and chicken parmesan. Dessert was cheesecake and also chocolate layer cake with a creamy chocolate bavaroise filling.

Everyone was equipped with a scorecard, and guests kept track of the progress of each number as the evening went on. “Are you still in” was a frequent question, often answered with a smile but sometimes with a rueful grin – no translation needed.

Rotarian Raul Lopez and Soroptimist Arlene, Alex’s parents, were on hand early. Arlene loves to give the casino a flutter, and there were several tables for her to try her luck, with donated merchandise for prizes.

Larry McGrew, who graciously hosts the Texas Hold ’em Poker Night for Rotary several times a year, was asked if he planned to win at the gaming tables.

“Nope,” said Larry. “I’m sticking with the 10K opportunity and I’m going to win the big one.”

Someone was certain to have lucky night, but the real winner was the community of Downey. Rotary dedicates the proceeds of this yearly event to its local causes and charities, and it took a long page in the program to list them, from the Arc Fishing Derby and Buddy Benches for the Downey Unified School District’s anti-bullying campaign, to children’s books for the Downey City Library Children’s Room, and a donation to the Downey Symphonic Society with its Music in the Schools program. Rotarians work all year to strengthen local organizations.

Newest Rotary project will be Fiesta de la Calaveras on October 26, to be held at the Stonewood Mall. The event will replace the Dias de los Muertes, an event that the City of Downey had to cancel because of construction at the Civic Center and the Downey Theatre Plaza. Rotary is eager to pick up the slack, and will work on this together with Courage Forward, the association to help veterans with PTSD.

Downey Rotary also supports local youth organizations: Interact clubs at Downey, Warren and Columbus High, plus an OLPH Interact. A major recipient of the evening’s proceeds will be Gangs Out of Downey, the program that has involved the Downey Unified School District and other local schools: the Downey Family YMCA; Darrell Jackson’s 10-20 Club for Youth at Risk; and the Downey Police Department, and many other worthy groups all participate.

Other events during the Rotary year are specially designated: the golf tournament in November donates all its proceeds to The Arc. The pancake breakfast at Warren High, enjoyed by the community for so many years, and planned for springtime 2020, is an all-out effort to make a meaningful gift to the Downey Family YMCA. Greg Welch, immediate past president of Rotary, is the new chair of the Board of Managers of the Downey Family YMCA.

These big fundraisers have always been dedicated to the Arc and the Downey YMCA. But the l0K Night enriches the club’s treasury so it can contribute to home town projects like TLC, or True Lasting Connections, which is affiliated with the DUSD and helps needy families of students at the Downey schools.

Rotarian Jesse Vargas is on the board of the foundation of Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center, where many Downeyites join to raise money to provide special equipment for the patients. Rotary has also co-hosted the annual luncheon event to honor the Downey Police and Fire Foundation.

Speaking of the DUSD, one of the delightful surprise guests was Dr. Ed Potter, former assistant superintendent of the DUSD. Dr. Ed was president of the Rotary Club of Downey in 1993-94, the year it met at the Embassy Suites while the Rio Hondo Country Club was re-landscaped and our beautiful new event center was being built, with its wrap-around glass walls looking out over the terrace and the fairways.

Dr. Ed said he had recently taken a motor trip with Raul and Arlene Lopez, starting in Boston, “where the credit union conference was,” said Dr. Ed. “We ended up 1,700 miles later in Miami. We saw everything along the way, and I heard quite a lot about Cuba.”

Harold and Anna Tseklenis, Jim and Judy Reynolds, and Jorge and Maru Montero shared a table. Harold is a longtime supporter of the Downey Symphonic Society, which Rotary supports with some of the proceeds from this evening. They sat right beside Connie and Bill Kirkwood’s table, and Chris and Mike Polen, both resplendent in bright Hawaiian clothes.

Ryan Keene and Kris attended. Ryan is the newest member of the Downey Symphonic Society board. Drs. Debbie and Dan Fox were there, taking a look at the silent auction prizes. Among the opportunities were a ride-along with a Downey Police patrol person on their beat; and stays at several Embassy Suites by Hilton, one in Seattle and another in Bozeman, Montana. Lucky winners will see a landscape and weather that are different from what we know in Downey.

Adopt-a-House, Rotary Recognizes Readers, Thanksgiving dinners for needy families, and the Ronald McDonald House are more of the recipients, too many exceptional causes to make a complete list here.

One of Rotary’s favorite meetings of the year is the Christmas party for needy third graders who might not have any Christmas celebration or present otherwise. Rotarians share lunch at Rio Hondo Event Center, festooned in its holiday best, and the children get a visit from Santa, who brings special toys for each child.

“I’m saving my present for my sister,” a little girl once said, “because she won’t have any Christmas at all.” Two children along with their principal come from each of Downey’s K-5 schools for a sharing and caring event that is memorable for Rotarians as well as the youngsters.

The Rotary Club of Downey also has major international projects, like Literacy in Guatemala, and Polio Plus, the 30 year- long endeavor to eradicate polio worldwide. But none of these bring any more satisfaction and joy than the moments of hope that Rotary can give to so many children and families and adults right here, where the faces and addresses and needs are seen and felt so strongly every day.

Downey is rich in having so many other service clubs that feel the same sense of service.

The Rotary Club of Downey is grateful for the community support for the l0K Winner’s Night, where the winners are legion, and the quality of life in Downey is enriched.