On March 27th, 2025 Alpha Xi Delta sorority hosted Xingo Night in Bishops Lounge. In the evening, students were able to play bingo and win prizes; all proceeds directly went to support the Kindly Hearts Initiative, AXiD’s philanthropic focus dedicated to supporting children and teens experiencing foster care and homelessness.

The event saw a huge turnout: around 40 people reserved their spot prior to the event, and the bingo tables attracted dozens of walk-ins while the event continued. One bingo card was only $5, and those participating had the option to purchase as many bingo sheets as they wanted to increase their chances of winning. The prizes AXiD provided for bingo winners were no cheap participation trophy either. There were multiple snack baskets from Trader Joe’s, some salty and some sweet themed, a self-care basket, a movie-night basket, a gift card for an hour of canoeing, and gift cards to local Georgetown businesses such as 309 Coffee and The Baked Bear. 

Spirits stayed high throughout the event, the chatter in Bishop’s Lounge was nearly deafening while participants eagerly played their chips at every letter and number combination that matched their bingo sheets as two announcers called out the lucky draws from the front. The Megaphone actually won the first prize: while there to report on the event, I bought my own bingo sheet to play along, and won the very first prize of the $20 Baked Bear gift card! (Spoils will be shared amongst the staff, rest assured.) 

After my unexpected bingo win, I had the opportunity to interview AXiD’s VP of Philanthropy Katie Pratt ’26, one of the key organizers of the event. Xingo plans have been in the works since winter break, and efforts to reach out to companies for gift cards and shopping for the gift baskets began mid February. Scheduled since January, Southwestern has looked forward to Xingo night for quite some time, with the entire sorority involved in some way or another to make it the best night possible. Pratt explained more why the Kindly Hearts Initiative is the charity of choice for AXiD: “Kindly Hearts Initiative is the umbrella term for Foster Club and Stand Up For Kids, which is the charity AXiD supports. These organizations focus on foster care, homelessness, outreach centers, and food accessibility.” Pratt also explained how there is one big event that AXiD hosts every semester to collect donations for these causes. The last time an event like this was hosted, AXiD raised around $900. After Xingo, between bingo participants and sorority sisters who raised money with their own donation links, there was around $2,345 raised for the Kindly Hearts Initiative.

One of the sorority sisters helping at the event, Sophia Knape ’26, stated how the turnout for Xingo was fantastic: “More people than I thought showed up, so we’re really happy about that! We did try really hard for this event.” Xingo night proved a wonderful example of the generosity of the Southwestern community, and how a night of fun can produce tremendous support for important causes.