A new resident of Atlanta is launching a live bingo game to celebrate all things historically black colleges and universities.
TeeJ Mercer, a veteran Hollywood TV producer and graduate of Howard University, an HBCU, will begin TeeJ’s Bingo Nite: HBCU 2020 Grad Edition this weekend.
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The live, online event invites all 2020 HBCU graduates to register for free to play in the seven-round bingo games for four weeks beginning at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, June 6 on Zoom. The event will also be streamed on Facebook.
Mercer, who moved to Atlanta from Southern California in March 2020 just before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered Georgia and cities across the nation, explained how the idea came to be.
“I’m an extreme extrovert, known as the World’s Greatest Hugger, and here I am stuck in a new city; I can’t be social and I can’t hug anyone, so I was lonely and miserable,” she said in a press release. “My cousin set up a virtual family Bingo game and since I have an engaged following, halfway through, I knew I wanted to plan a game for my social media pals. One night. $10 prize pots of my own money. And 10 games.”
The family bingo grew to include friends and 700 registrants six weeks later, at which point Mercer had given away nearly $10,000 in donated cash and prizes. Eventually, it evolved into a virtual bingo event for HBCU graduates when Mercer realized the class of 2020 missed out on the rich traditions of HBCU graduations.
“I started tapping family and friends hoping that I might be able to raise $100K,” she said. “But with no fundraising, no ads, and no social media campaigns, I was literally brought to tears when I learned, we had broken over $1M in services and over $14K in cold hard cash…in under 4 weeks. Unbelievable.”
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The $1.3 million raised will go toward cash and prizes for HBCU bingo players. Grand prizes will be awarded in round seven and one graduate will win a MacBook each week. The prizes range from professional LinkedIn biographies to subscriptions to a black professionals’ dating site and the chance to work with a Grammy-winning music producer.
As for the $14,000 in cash, that will be awarded in various increments throughout live bingo play. Seven cash prizes will be awarded per night.
Each Saturday this month, the money will be doled out as follows:
- Week one: $1,000 cash and a minimum total prize package of $8,477.
- Week two: $1,500 and a minimum total prize package of $8,977.
- Week three: $2,000 and a minimum total prize package of $9,477.
- Week four: $2,500 and a minimum total prize package of $9,977.
Additionally, the virtual graduation-consultation celebration of the class of 2020 will use #TeeJsHBCUBingo to round up celebrity congratulatory videos and post winners live on TeeJsHBCUBingo's Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages this month.
TBNHGE is accepting donations to increase the prize for the 2020 HBCU graduates. A tax-deductible gift can be sent via Cash App, Venmo or via PayPal and Zelle to TeeJ@TeeJBingoNite.com.
DETAILS
TeeJ's Bingo Nite: HBCU 2020 Grad Edition
7:15 p.m. Saturday, June 6
Online
Register here for free (2020 HBCU graduates only)
