Who: Mel Ostrander, 65, of Barrington, is the caller at weekly bingo night at Arlington Heights-based Clearbrook.
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What he does: Bingo has gone high-tech since Ostrander once played it as a teenager with his grandmother. Games can still be played on the traditional paper bingo cards, but players can also rent computers to play. Callers also use a computer to draw the numbers and display numbers and verify winners.
The speed at which numbers are drawn can be programmed into the computer. Ostrander sets it at 18 seconds, which gives those playing multiple cards — sometimes up to 20 at once — enough time to match their numbers and still keep the game moving along.
Ostrander, who retired from his job as financial manager for General Electric Co. 10 years ago, started calling bingo about two years ago.
He began as a dealer for Clearbrook’s semiannual casino nights and was asked if he was interested in working bingo night also.
“I didn’t know anything about bingo but decided to try it,” Ostrander said. “It’s very rewarding and fulfilling. It’s a wonderful activity and organization.”
About 80 regulars come every week, he said, with up to 125 people on any given night. Admission is free; bingo patrons buy cards or rent the computers. Proceeds pay out the prizes and bring in additional revenue for Clearbrook, which provides services for adults and children with developmental disabilities, said volunteer coordinator Nancy Chesek.
Why he does it: “I set my barometer for who I want to volunteer with, an organization I feel is deserving and I believe in their cause,” Ostrander said. “I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.”
Since Ostrander, a father of three and grandfather of seven, had the luxury of retiring early at age 55, he has filled his time volunteering with sports and the booster club at Barrington High School, for OMNI Youth Services and Special Olympics basketball tournaments and as a dealer for the Fox River Grove Lions Club’s poker tournaments.
How you can help: Clearbrook is seeking more volunteers to call bingo from 6:45 to 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday, in Clearbrook’s Getz Building, 746 S. Vermont St., at Illinois Street, Palatine. Four callers work each night in rotating shifts. Pull tabs sales — a lottery-type game — begins at 5 p.m.
For information, call 847-385-5016.