A 'financial blessing' grows a benefit helping Rochester kids get school supplies

William Allen School Principal Dustin Gray, left, and former William Allen School student Mary Welch outside the school that will be the first recipient of a benefit she started. (Rochester Voice photo)

ROCHESTER - Mary Welch of Rochester well remembers how she struggled to pay for items needed to get her children ready for that first day of school.
Magic markers, notepads, crayons, pencils, pens, glue sticks, tissues, rulers, calculators. The list went on and on, she said.
"When I was bringing up my kids, I would see the items the school suggested we have for our kids, that was a lot of stress for me," she said on Tuesday.
So when she received what she called "a financial blessing" recently she immediately knew what she wanted to do.
"I wanted to give back to younger parents who are struggling just to pay for rent and food," she said.
The first recipient of her fund-raising will be the William Allen Elementary School she attended as a child.
Welch's generosity was recently exponentially increased when the Victory Club, where she is a bartender, asked to partner with her to raise potentially thousands of dollars for the cause.
The first major iteration of the fund-raising campaign is scheduled for June 9 at the Victory Club with a meat-bingo style event that will see about a thousand dollars in prizes.
Some of the items up for grabs include a $300 auto detailing, three Rochester Voice annual subscriptions valued at $70 apiece, two $50 gift certificates to The City Tobacco and Beverage Store and a complete spa package to name just a few on the ever-growing list.
Wendy Davis, who often visits the Victory Club, has been a major assist to Welch in getting businesses to donate services and products for the meat bingo.
"She has been instrumental in getting some 90 percent of the donations," said Welch, who, herself, has donated more than $500.
Meat bingos are common at many of the area's fraternal clubs like the American Legion and the Milton Moose. The game is played using laminated three-card entries. A dealer then calls out cards from a shuffled deck, and the first player to get all three of their cards wins the meat, in this case various prizes.
Matthew Negm, president of the Victory Club, said that when he learned Welch was planning the fund-raising effort, he knew he wanted to back her efforts.
"Mary is passionate about giving back to the school system," he said. "When she told me what she wanted to do it really hit me and opened my eyes. I wanted to jump on board right away."
Negm said the nonprofit club would be fund-raising for the effort from through August, including the big fund-raising event on June 9. He said much of the money will be raised through 50-50 raffles.
The first recipient of the benefit will be the William Allen School, where Principal Dustin Gray said teachers too often use their own money to buy school supplies for the neediest students.
He said when he got an email from Welch saying she wanted to help, he was thrilled to have her backing.
"Teachers right now are getting their supply lists ready for next year," he said, adding that tissues are one of the most needed items, especially after the pandemic hit three years ago.
He said other items that are sought after are glue sticks, pencils, dry erasers, markers and white boards.