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Riverhawk Gamblin’

Casino night fundraiser proceeds to benefit UCC athletics


A little bit of Vegas style gambling rolls into the Danny Lang Event Center 5 p.m. April 26, in support of the Umpqua Community College’s athletic programs.

The event will consist of dinner, a silent auction and casino gambling. A variety of items such as a wine and oak table along with a Sun River House and Golf package will be auctioned.

With all of the evening’s proceeds going to the athletic department, it stands as the largest fundraising event of the year for Umpqua athletics.

“All of the money we fundraise for this event will go back to our athletic department,” Athletics Director Cheryl Yoder said. “We saved money from recent auctions that allowed us to buy the gym’s new scoreboards along with volleyball nets this past year.”

The evening will be the first time the spring charity event takes place with a casino flair to it.

“Every year, we have a big fundraiser for our athletic department. This year we decided to go with a different theme and try ‘casino night,” Yoder said.

“We hired a company out of Eugene that basically runs these casino style fundraisers. They provide all the gaming tables, chips and funny money,” Yoder said.

Selected campus volunteers will act as dealers for the evening’s gambling festivities.

The replacement of items large and small to the school’s gymnasium may be in the horizon depending on the success of Casino Night.

“In the future, we have some upgrades in the gym we would like to do, while still putting money back into the programs for student athletics,” Cheryl Yoder said. “We need new score tables, and we need new bleachers as well. The score tables are affordable, but the bleachers are a very large expense.”

Cost for the Riverhawk Casino Night is $40 per person or $350 for a table of 10. Tickets will be available at the door the evening of the event, in the Danny Lang Event Center on Umpqua’s main campus. They can also be purchased online at tickets.umpqua.edu.

The evening festivities officially kick-off Saturday, April 26, at 5 p.m.