United Way, Oaks Center join forces for crucial fundraising trivia event

SIKESTON — The Sikeston Oaks Nutrition Center and the Sikeston Bootheel Area United Way have teamed up for a trivia night fundraiser on March 8 to support their causes.

Community support is essential, organizers said.

“The Oaks Center and the United Way need money to survive,” Lisa Angle, executive director of the Sikeston Bootheel Area United Way, said. “We are trying to keep the Oaks Center open and the United Way office operational.”

“We figured if we did the fundraiser together and worked together, we could both benefit,” she added.

Lisa Hicks, administrator of the Sikeston Oaks Nutrition Center, highlighted the importance of the fundraiser, noting that the Center’s budget was cut by $27,000.

The Sikeston Oaks Nutrition Center offers lunch and various activities and services to enhance the physical, social, and emotional well-being of participants. Also they provide home-delivered meals for seniors who are 60 and older and homebound.

Hicks pointed out a common misconception that the Oaks Center.

“I’ve been here for 15 years, and I still encounter people who think this is a government-owned program, but we are not, which is why these fundraisers are so important,” she said.

The Sikeston Bootheel Area United Way is a local community impact and fundraising organization aiming to improve lives and create opportunities for people in the surrounding Bootheel counties, Angle explained.

The Oaks Center has been in Sikeston for 52 years, and the Sikeston Bootheel Area United Way for 62 years.

Event details

The fundraiser is scheduled for March 8 at the Sikeston VFW building, with doors opening at 5 p.m.

Trivia teams can have up to eight players, and the cost is $20 per person. Payments can be made by cash or check.

The trivia night will feature desserts, soft drinks, a cash bar and mulligans. Prizes will be awarded to the top two teams.

Participants are encouraged to register in advance by contacting bootheeluw@gmail.com or 573-471-0310 or sikestoncenter@agingmatters2u.com or 573-471-6047.