As the announcer calls out the raffle winner for a Tory Burch handbag, Rula Rukab turns toward the source of the cheering: over 250 women wearing movie-themed costumes. In the five years since she began organizing the annual Blingo fundraiser, September 2023 was the first time Rukab could relax and enjoy it, dressed as Toula Portokalos from the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
“I was proud to see how much everyone enjoyed all the hard work and effort that goes into planning the event,” Rukab said. “The most fun part was dancing the Greek Zorba around all the tables with my wedding party in my wedding dress and passing Bundt cake to everyone like the movie.”
Blingo is West Shore’s biggest fundraiser, inviting moms from the school and surrounding community to wear costumes and participate in games, raffles and silent auctions. Participants play eight rounds of bingo for prizes such as designer handbags and high-end jewelry, garnering a total profit of over $75,000 for the school since its inception.
After eight years in the Parent Teacher Association, making her the longest-running member on the board, Rukab decided it was time to focus on her family and career in real estate.
“I dedicate two to three months ahead of the event to start recruiting, [purchasing] raffle items, knocking on doors to businesses, asking for donations and reaching out to sponsors,” Rukab said. “It’s a little stressful and time-consuming. That’s one of the biggest reasons [I stepped back from planning Blingo]- it took a lot of my time from my home and my children. I focused 110 percent on it.”
Her daughter, junior Tala Rukab, said she had to work around her mother’s meetings and plans before she got her driver’s license this February.
“I think it was at the end of Blingo last year that she mentioned she was thinking about stepping back,” Tala said. “Of course, as her family, we supported her decision. It’s definitely something that kept her very busy for a few months, so we also thought it was good for her to take a step back and get a break from it all.”
Before officially retiring from being the PTA Vice President of Fundraising, Rukab searched for the right person to take her place: Sherrie Stovall.
Mother of two sons at West Shore, Stovall met her at Blingo in 2021. She said her prior experience planning fundraisers at her children’s elementary school impressed Rukab.
“We just hit it off from the start,” Stovall said. “She was like, ‘Would you like to help me out next year, since you’ll be here at West Shore?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I would love to.’”
The next year, Stovall shadowed Rukab for several months before running the event herself in 2023. The first thing she noticed about Rukab was her “energy and passion.”
“The minute you meet her, you fall in love with her,” Stovall said. “ I think everybody knows her. Once you meet Rula, you’ll never forget her. She’s passionate, knowledgeable, very loving and kind-hearted. She just has the biggest heart.”
According to Tala, her mother’s people-oriented personality “really helps with fundraising and putting together an event.”
“I’m not scared to talk,” Rukab said. “To be successful in running an event like this, you need strong communication skills, networking, relationships, persistence and consistency. Following up is key. When you do a fundraiser this big, you have to recognize the people by personally sending thank-you cards, and that’s what I did. Everyone who donated, from one dollar to 1,000, was sent a card— a thank you from me and the principal.”
The PTA uses its funds to support teacher and administration requests. Their proceeds ensure that juniors can take the PSAT for free, and more recently, they have funded new computers and covered 20% of the $365,000 cost of the concession stand.
“It’s an event that almost the whole school is proud to be a part of,” Stovall said. “The teachers are always very thankful; some attend the event. They’re just very thankful for what the PTA can do for them, and it feels good to provide that for them.”
Math teacher Susan Orton has attended Blingo all six years it’s been hosted, sitting with one of the three tables consisting of West Shore teachers and staff.
“The first year they moved to the movie themes, we did [the movie] ‘Sister Act,'” she said. “That was probably one of the funniest years because they started playing music, and [former teacher Annamae] Milligan and [former Assistant Principal Catherine] Halbuer got up and sang and danced. They sang to ‘My Guy.’ They were dressed as nuns, singing to ‘My Guy.’ It was really cute. Everybody got up and was singing and dancing with the two of them.”
This year, Orton’s table is going as the Avengers superheroes, and she will dress as Nick Fury.
“It’s fun,” she said. “It’s just a lot of fun. And it’s a huge fundraiser for PTA and the school — the biggest event of the year. If it was just a party or something, I wouldn’t go because I’m a homebody and a family person. But because they’re raising money for the school and you guys, it makes a difference. The PTA at this school does a lot of stuff for everybody. They help anybody who asks them for help. They’re fantastic.”
Besides raising money, Stovall said Blingo creates a tighter community within the school and beyond.
“We’ve had a lot of new moms just buy single tickets, and then they make friendships just by going and sitting beside someone new,” she said. “We had a table last year, and it was just a bunch of new seventh-grade moms. They each bought single tickets, so I put them together. They clicked, and now that’s their friend group. It’s rewarding to hear that as those relationships get made.”
In the meantime, Rukab will stay on the PTA board until Tala graduates next year. Even as she focuses on spending time with her three kids and expanding her business, she will “always be willing at any moment to take a phone call, offer advice and help out in any way.”
“[Letting go] has been hard because I want to know what’s going on,” Rukab said. “Blingo is my baby. But it’s been great because [I trust] Sherrie will take it to the next level. She did amazing last year, her first year [managing Blingo] alone. She is very professional, kind and calm, and she will have lots of success in the years to come.”
With the seventh annual Blingo taking place on Sept. 13, Stovall said she’s setting her sights high, hoping to one day beat Rukab’s profit record of $33,000. For now, her goal is to make it to $30,000.
“I feel privileged to have her support for something that she’s cared about so much for so long,” Stovall said. “I have big shoes to fill, by all means. I’m getting there, still learning every year, but it’s a continued success. We’ve got great parents and a lot of support from the school, so we’re blessed.”