By MONICA JOSEPH
THE GOSHEN NEWS
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NAPPANEE — A local church is seeking folks with a keen eye and steady aim — or anyone who just wants to have a good time for a good cause.
Union Center Church of the Brethren is hosting its first cornhole tournament May 19 from 10 a.m. to around 4 p.m. Cornhole is a game where two players stand opposite each other and throw four beanbags toward a board with a hole in the center. The goal is to get the bag in the hole (three points) or on the board (one point.)
The cost to register is $40, with half of the proceeds going toward the church’s youth group mission trip to Puerto Rico. The remaining funds will be used for cash prizes for teams placing first, second and third. Youth Pastor Rhonda Dorn said teams can have members of any age.
This is the last fund raiser for the youth group prior to their departure for Cainito, Puerto Rico June 6. There are 13 youth and five adults participating.
“The Church of the Brethren has been very active in Cainito,” Dorn said. “It is a very poor neighborhood. They have a lot of problems with drugs and prostitution.”
Dorn, who has been to Cainito, said the youth group will be working with a Christian community center in the town, which serves meals each afternoon to the residents, among other ministries.
“There are a lot of children that come in,” Dorn said. “Probably for some, it is the only meal they will have.”
Dorn said the youth will spend time interacting with the community members, but also will work on building maintenance and any other projects the center needs.
“Depending on when we go, we might actually have someone’s home that needs work done,” Dorn said. “We won’t know that until we get there.”
Dorn said the community center has very little funding, so any supplies needed for the projects must be paid for by the youth group.
“We have been doing a ton of fundraisers this year,” Dorn said.
The youth held a silent auction, helped at a fish fry and held bake sales.
“You name it,” Dorn said. “We have just been working very hard.”
The youth group members have raised enough money to travel to Puerto Rico, but are hoping to continue to raise funds for extra projects while they are there.
It was one of the youth group advisers who suggested hosting a cornhole tournament.
“I’m new to this, but I guess there are tournaments that happen all over,” Dorn said. “He (the adviser) was the one who said ‘here’s something new we can do.’ We all thought it sounded like fun. Something new that we have never done before.”
Event information
When: Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Union Center Church of the Brethren, 70535 C.R. 11, Nappanee (corner of C.R.s 11 and 50)
Cost: $40 per team.
Why: Half of the funds raised with go to a youth group mission trip to Puerto Rico. The other half will be awarded in cash prizes.
Teams: Two people per team. Maximum of 30 teams. The tournament will use American Cornhole Association rules.
To register: Contact Youth Pastor Rhonda Dorn at 354-2656
