Guests enter Casino Night, held this year at the Woman's Club in Orange.
Diana Valenzuela gave the over-sized dice one final shake before tossing them onto the green-felt table.
She gave a disappointed cry when she realized the dice didn’t spell out “royale,” and threw up her hands with a grin.
Valenzuela, the mother of a seventh grader at McPherson Magnet School, had paid $100 to play a game that could have earned her $20,000 or a luxurious Las Vegas vacation.
The game was a focal point of the school’s yearly Casino Night, a fundraiser held May 29 to raise money for math, science and technology supplies.
She hadn’t won the game but was glad to know her donation would be well spent.
“It’s all about the kids,” Valenzuela said. “My daughter will reap the rewards from tonight next school year, like every year.”
Diana Valenzuela, a McPherson parent, was the first to try to win the $20,000 or Las Vegas get-away prize.
Though the final monetary tallies aren’t in yet, the event’s organizers feel confident that they surpassed their fundraising goals, said Erick Erickson, a Casino Night organizer.
Nearly 200 community members – mostly teachers, parents and grandparents – attended the event. Supporters purchased an estimated 12,000 raffle tickets, exceeding the Foundation’s 10,000-ticket goal.
The “Casino Royale”-themed night featured drinks, food, music, live and silent auctions, raffles and gaming. All auction and raffle items were donated by McPherson teachers, families and local businesses.
Parent Nicole Rostom won a coveted back-lot parking space in the live auction. She looks forward to using the spot, for which she bid $500, because it’s away from the main-lot traffic.
Nicole Rostom won a parking space in the live auction.
“I may not be able to send my kids to a private school,” Rostom said. “This is what I can do to help them get a better education.”
– Jennifer Gish
East: Community goes James Bond for a cause is a post from: Orange City Watch
