Sports
Local Legion Lends Heavy Support
Dixon American Legion Post 208 Donates $4,000 to Dixon Athletics
Some people watch things happen; others make things happen.
Greg Coppes, Commander of Dixon American Legion Post 208, saw an opportunity to provide needed funding for his passions, namely military veterans and athletics, and has now seemingly sewn opportunity into reality.
The vehicle for success? Linked Bingo. That's right, grandma's good, old-fashioned bingo with a little added oomph: The cash awards are "linked" with other California American Legion's providing larger than normal payouts.
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Coppes researched the opportunity (with Bingo Innovations Inc. of Ontario, Calif.), obtained the needed state and local licenses and permits, and the process began. Next, he sought a partner to provide staffing to actually work the game itself. Enter the Dixon Schools Athletic Boosters (DSAB) and president Guy Garcia.
Garcia was having lunch around the corner from his house at the Post's cafe. As a basketball coach at Dixon High School -- and Coppes a football coach -- the conversation naturally migrated toward the high school. Budget concerns, specifically athletic, permeated their talk as Coppes made the "what if," proposal.
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"What if your organization (which represents all sports at both DHS and C.A. Jacobs) provides the staffing for the nights we host Bingo?"
The result after one month (eight nights of Linked Bingo): A $4,000 donation to the DSAB from Post 208 of the American Legion. And it's only the beginning. Coppes has asked Garcia (and other DSAB men) to re-organize and join the Sons of the American Legion to enable yet another entity to assist veterans and youth athletics.
What about the Bingo? The game's cost is $25 per eight-game session. There are three sessions per evening (4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m.). Granted, the "buy-in" is higher than other halls in the area; however, the payout out to winners in Dixon alone for the month of March was in excess of $60,000!
Coppes, Vice Commander Ted Hickman and Women's Auxiliary Chair Patti Coppes (Greg's wife) have done more than their share to ensure that Dixon's veterans, and the schools athletic programs, are the truly fortunate in this endeavor.