May Luncheon and BINGO
Charity: Happy Birthday Cha Cha Cha
Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
West Village Dining Room at The Villages at Unity, 1471 Long Pond Rd, Rochester, NY 14626
Parking assistance will be provided. Please follow the event signs. Shuttle buses will take drivers to the door, and the dining room is very near the entrance.
Cost: $25 for lunch. BINGO boards will be available for $20 for 5 games
Time:
Seating and raffle ticket sales at 11:00 a.m., meeting at 11:30 a.m., and luncheon at noon
Menu: Choice of Italian Wedding Soup or Vegetarian Vegetable Soup. Meatless pasta salad. Sandwich choices: turkey provolone, cashew chicken salad, and tuna Waldorf. Cookies for dessert: peanut butter, sugar, chocolate chip, cranberry, and molasses.
Happy Birthday Cha Cha Cha is a 100% volunteer- and donation-based organization that brings birthday joy to children living in poverty by delivering fun treats and necessities on their birthdays. Each child receives approximately $60 in items. They partner with schools in high-poverty areas and celebrate students’ birthdays in these schools. Most programs serve the Rochester City School District with additional chapters in Utica, Rome, and Buffalo.
Carrie Green, Founder/President will present at our May Luncheon about this unique and caring organization.
Happy Birthday Cha Cha Cha Top Wish List Items:
Toothbrushes and toothpaste (kids and adult), kids’ socks and underwear, bar soap, deodorant, fruit cups, mac and cheese, tuna fish, SpaghettiOs, feminine pads, $5 McDonald’s gift cards, Step into Reading books, Birthday Cake Oreos, African American Barbies, Matchbox cars. Checks: Make payable to HBCCC
ABOUT US
The Genetaska Club of Rochester, formerly “Ladies of Kiwanis,” (before women were allowed to join that international service organization) can be traced back to 1947!! Genetaska is a Native American word for “helping hands”. The local Club was the largest but now is the only remaining Genetaska Club anywhere. The Club today has over 100 members from all over Monroe County and is still going strong. We have a luncheon meeting (at various local restaurants) on the third Wednesday of every month at various locations in the Rochester area, year-round.
The Rochester Club helps dozens of local charities each year. We find out what organization or schools need help by contacting the directors of various boards, and then select one charity per month to help. Each charity is contacted to determine what items they need, and members are asked to bring these specific items to our monthly luncheons after which we deliver them to the charity.
Just this 2025 holiday season we were able to donate $8,000 to food and nutrition related charities such as Rush Henrietta area Food Terminal, Lakeview Community Pantry, St Peter's Kitchen, Blessed Sacrament Supper Program, Holy Apostles Church, Webster Hope House and Life Solutions of Hamlin Food Pantry.
Other charities we have supported during 2025:
Camp Haccamo, Artists Unlimited, Matthews Closet, Emmanuel Presbyterian Church Cafe Program, Patrick Place, No Lemons Equine, Sunny Mike Foundation, Challenger Miracle Field of Greater Rochester, Emilee Connection, Dimitri House.
Past charities include Alternatives for Battered Women, Angels of Mercy, the Irondequoit Community Cupboard, St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality, the School of the Holy Childhood, and Wilson Commencement Park, just to name a few. We also collect money from members every month to purchase hats and mittens for students at two Rochester city schools as well as participating in many community outreach "ad hoc" activities throughout the year!
The Club holds several major fundraisers each year: two card parties, a Fashion Show and a Basket & Raffle Sale. Proceeds from these fundraisers are the only ones given in cash form to two charities that have been carefully selected. We also host two day trips a year as additional fundraisers. The proceeds from these are non-monetary gifts, but we do buy or pay for things that a charity has requested. For example, we purchased a washer and dryer for a hospice home; a harness and food for a blind person’s seeing-eye dog; and a stove for a family in need. We sent from Hope Hall to summer camp; donate cases of peanut butter and jelly to various food cupboards; and send children to Red Wings games. We have also provided food baskets to needy families at Thanksgiving time, and distributed twenty $100 Walmart gift certificates each December.
We are always looking for new members; if you're interested in joining simply click on the "Membership Form" tab at the top of the page and send the completed form to the name & address at the bottom. We welcome all women in the Greater Rochester area!