A crowd of more than 50 people sit in a room waiting on the next number to be called. Then, a lady hears what she has been waiting for. Her arms shake just a little, her face melting into a wide grin as she finally gets to say the word she has been waiting for all morning.

“Bingo!”

The Elizabethton Senior Center held its regular bingo competition Friday, March 15, from 10 to 11 a.m., but with a twist: Factory Connection sponsored the event.

Nancy Berry, a sales associate for Factory Connection, said they paid for and organized the prizes for those who won during the Lucky Leprechaun Bingo.

“We love being involved with the community,” Berry said. “It is good to see people having fun.”

The center hosts bingo days a couple of times a year, according to senior center Director Kathy Dula.

“Friday is our busiest day,” Dula said. “There is a lot of fellowship here.”

She said bingo normally gets a pretty good turnout every time. On this occasion, however, participants numbered at a minimum 60, if not more.

“We think the center is such a blessing,” Berry said. “They provide a lot to seniors, especially since there is not a lot else in the area for them.”

She said Factory Connection is working to provide community-focused events at least once a month, in the name of promoting community values and giving back to one another whenever possible.

“We can all be a little part of making the community better,” she said. “We want to show the community how much we appreciate them.”

In addition to March’s leprechaun bingo, Berry said they plan to do Baskets of Blessings in April. She said they also do a variety of projects with the Isaiah 117 House, the TLC Community Center and Relay for Life.

She said watching the residents have fun together is the best part of these projects.

“It is rewarding and heartwarming,” Berry said. “It is like making new friends.”