Las Vegas? Nope, DeLand! Local ‘Casino Night’ raises thousands for charity
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The Victoria Gardens Women’s Club’s second annual Casino Night event featured classic casino games like poker, slots, roulette and more, but with one catch — the proceeds didn’t go to the house, they’ll go to local charities like The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia and the Beacon Center women’s shelter.
For the second year in a row, the women’s club rented antique Las Vegas gaming tables from the company Casino Party Nights Florida to put on their Casino Night Feb. 10. In total, the packed house of more than 180 attendees raised around 15,000.
Victoria Gardens Women’s Club President Susan McMahon said the event not only helps the community get together and have fun, but supports the group’s core goals, too.
“We really feel like this event supports our mission statement of ‘socialize with a purpose,’” McMahon told The Beacon. “… it will help achieve our purpose, which is to feed the hungry, house the homeless and support our aging and those who are affected by domestic violence.”
During the last fiscal year, the organization raised $59,000 for local charities, including $23,000 for the Beacon Center, $7,000 for Family Renew DeLand and $7,500 for The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia. The group also raised $2,500 for the Council on Aging and $2,000 for Stetson University’s initiative to help students who came to the university escaping conflict in Ukraine.
Casino Night is the group’s premiere fundraiser, McMahon said, and the earnings will be the second round of donations the group has done so far this year.
Since the start of this fiscal year, the organization has already donated $10,000 to The Neighborhood Center.
