Angelina’s Dream Foundation bringing a slice of Vegas to Cheyenne at upcoming casino night

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — An upcoming casino night promises to deliver family-friendly, Vegas-style games with a Western spin in early May.

Angelina’s Dream Foundation is presenting Run for the Roses Casino Night at Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center. The event is set to feature stations for blackjack, poker, craps and roulettes, according to David Harrison, one of the foundation’s founders. Trained dealers will be in attendance to teach attendees about how to play the games, and a silent auction will also be held.

Angelina Harrison was a 16-year-old Triumph High School student who was fatally shot at Frontier Mall in January 2023. David Harrison, Angelina’s father, as well as other family members and friends formed the Angelina’s Dream Foundation in March 2023. Harrison and the foundation aim to host community-oriented activities that “create an environment where people can come with their family and friends and just enjoy life a little bit.”

One of Angelina’s favorite vacations was when she visited Las Vegas with her grandparents, Harrison said. This inspired the conception of hosting a casino night in Cheyenne.

“We’re trying to keep in the spirit of things she loved,” Harrison said.

Angelina was looking forward to attending Cheeks Beauty Academy in Cheyenne, Harrison said. This is why he and the foundation are awarding a $2,500 scholarship to a community member interested in attending the beauty school. Applications are open. Harrison and the foundation are using proceeds earned at events like the casino night to create more future scholarships and further the foundation’s goals.

Run for the Roses Casino Night will open its doors for the silent auction preview at 5:30 p.m., and games will begin at 6 p.m.

Tickets cost $55, or $400 for a table accommodating eight people. To purchase a ticket, click here. Families and people of all ages are welcome at the event, though individuals purchasing a ticket must be at least 18 years of age.

Harrison and the foundation have hosted other events in his daughter’s memory. When the foundation held its first car show in summer 2023, Harrison raffled off the 1995 custom Chevy truck he and Angelina drove as she was learning to drive stick-shift, he said.