Shamong Foundation for Educational Excellence hosts inaugural casino night fundraiser Feb. 3
The Shamong Foundation for Educational Excellence is taking a gamble on a new fundraiser next month, and it’s shaping up to be an exciting affair.
The inaugural “A Night in Monte Carlo” casino night will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight on Friday, Feb. 3, at Lucien’s Manor in Berlin. The night boasts an appetizer and dinner buffet, a silent auction, a myriad of raffle prizes and, of course, a chance to try your hand with lady luck.
“We came up with this idea so people can get together and just have fun,” Shamong Foundation trustee Kim Condurso said. “We’ve done a ‘Beat the Winter Blues’ event for 10 years, and this is replacing that. We just want to keep things new and fresh.”
Admission is $75 and includes appetizers and dinner. Game chips can then be purchased and used at one of the various table games. Cash won’t be changing hands at the event; chips are redeemable for raffle tickets.
“I know with me, I’m intimidated in Atlantic City. I’ve never played at a poker table before. But with something like this, I’d give it a try,” Condurso said. “When you’re amongst friends, there’s no pressure. I’m sure there will be a lot of laughs.”
Raffle prizes include tickets to sporting events, golfing and landscaping packages, various gift certificates and plenty more. Raffle tickets can also be purchased outright for those forgoing the games, or for anyone wanting an additional chance to win. Donations for the raffle prizes and silent auction are still being collected.
All proceeds will benefit the Shamong Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 2002 geared toward providing “creative and innovative grants” to teachers throughout the Indian Mills school district. To date, the foundation has funded more than 70 grants that total more than $550,000.
“We want teachers and staff to pursue their creative ideas without being hindered by budgetary constraints,” Condurso said. “We want them to be able to come to us and initiate these ideas.”
In the midst of its donor campaign, the Shamong Foundation has raised $12,000 of its $30,000 goal for this school year.
“We’re pretty excited about that,” Condurso said, adding the group sent letters to every resident and others who have donated in the past. “We get people who have moved away and still donate.”
The nonprofit benefits from AmazonSmile — when shoppers choose Shamong Foundation as its charity at smile.amazon.com, the group will receive a half-percent of purchases — and is looking to hold a possible golf outing this spring in addition to continuing its donor campaign. Grants are awarded twice a year, and the next bunch will be announced in the spring.
“One of the ultimate goals for the foundation is to keep Shamong schools at the leading edge of education,” Condurso said, adding the foundation is so proud of its school district. “We want to do everything in our power to keep that momentum going.”
The Shamong Foundation prefers tickets to “A Night in Monte Carlo” be purchased in advance at www.shamongfoundation.org, although tickets will also be available at the door until the event sells out. Anyone interested in making a prize donation can email Melissa Derham at mebe_sc@yahoo.com or Gineen Leibowitz at gineenL@comcast.net. Donations to the donor campaign can be made on the foundation’s website.
