The task of correctly s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g eloquent words (or even simple words) may be tediously annoying for a lot of people. But fear not: courtesy of the University of Puget Sound (UPS) and the Tacoma Community House (TCH), competitive spelling is now fun and will also benefit the community through the “Scrabble Rousers: Season Deux” event Feb. 16 at the UPS Rotunda.
The purpose of this event is to raise money for TCH, a nonprofit organization that provides education, employment, interpretation, immigration and social services for refugees, immigrants and English speaking adults and youth. The organization serves individuals 16 years and older with a variety of innovative programs in collaboration with many community partners. Their mission is to empower people to improve the quality of their lives and become fully contributing members of society.
“Scrabble Rousers” is also one of the ways TCH honors and celebrates 100 years of service to the community. TCH has this event monthly from February to September throughout the city. Each monthly tournament has individual themes like Mardi Gras Day, Alfred Hitchcock Day and Bad Poetry Day.
The event attendees (usually around 35-50 people) vary with each event but there are hardcore Scrabble Rouser enthusiasts that come every year.
A major highlight of the event is the overall atmospheric theme. This month’s fundraiser will be Mardi Gras themed.
“The most exciting one (theme) was International Talk Like a Pirate Day; people got pretty into it,” Development/Communications Associate Hana Kato said. “There were a lot of ‘RRRRRR’s’ and such.”
Kato continues: “I think it (themes) helps the event stick in people’s minds and give us a little direction for how we will run each event. The theme affects everything from the decoration to a themed word list that they can get extra points if they use.”
There will also be two 45-minute timed games and winner/loser brackets that are used for the second game. There will be prizes for things like top score and two-game winners, and prizes for most interesting word, which will be picked by MC Christian Jesen, who will be replacing the infamous MC sweet pea this month.
Most traditional Scrabble rules will apply but mixed up a little bit. “It’s a fundraiser so we give opportunities to buy a sneak-a-peek (looking in the dictionary), and two-letter word lists,” Kato said. “That is one of the ways we raise money.”
There will also be warm-up games available such as Boggle and Quiddler. Intermission games will be available between Scrabble games to give people a chance to interact and stretch their legs. The event will be surrounded by Mardi Gras themed music.
Because the event is themed, it is encouraged that people dress up, but it is not mandatory. Scrabble and “Scrabble Rousers” newbies do not need to be avid spelling enthusiasts to participate in the festivities. This is an all-ages, all-Scrabble level event. “It’s a real good intergenerational time,” Kato said.
The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will end at 9:30 p.m. There will be snacks and drinks available and there will be a cake that has been donated by local shop Kathy’s Cakes. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Event admission is $10. All proceeds will go to the Student Scholarship Fund, which gives small amounts of money to people transitioning from TCH to other educational institutions.
The Rotunda, on the UPS campus, is located at 1500 N. Warner St. “Scrabble Rousers” is supported through community partnerships with King’s Books, UPS Office of Community Engagement and Click! Cable TV. For more information, call Kato at (253) 383-3951, send e-mail to HKato@tacomacommunityhouse.org or visit www.tacomacommunityhouse.org.
