By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — The first annual Casino Night to benefit the youth athletes of Trussville Parks and Recreation is set for Friday, May 1 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Trussville Civic Center.
The event is being hosted by the Trussville Recreational Youth Sports Foundation, which exists to provide financial support, by means of scholarship awards, to the youth athletes of families who might be facing economic challenges.
Tickets are $50 — a tax-deductible gift to the foundation — and may be purchased in advance by visiting http://trysfoundation.ticketleap.com/casinonight/.
Coach Kenneth Hardin draws up a play for the Trussville Youth Flag Football Redskins, a Trussville Parks and Recreation team, in the spring of 2014.
file photo by Ron Burkett
For each ticket, players will receive $1,000 in chips to be played over casino-style games, including blackjack, Texas Hold ‘em, craps, slot machines and more. At the end of the night, players will receive one entry into the drawing for prizes for every $500 worth of chips redeemed.
Proceeds will be used to provide scholarships for athletes in need of financial assistance, who participate in basketball, gymnastics, and flag football.
There will also be a silent auction, music, food and a cash bar.
David Guttery, a financial advisor who’s coached recreation league basketball for 13 years in Trussville, formed the foundation in 2014. By the end of 2014, the foundation had received contributions totaling $1,925 from individuals, and one matching gift from Ameritas.
“With anything in life — professionally or personally — if I’m going to commit to doing something, then it must be something about which I can muster passion,” Guttery said in January. “I’m going to give it 100 percent or nothing. Coaching these kids is one of the most meaningful and rewarding avocations that I have, and being the director of this foundation is a natural extension of that avocation. It means the world to me, and I can’t wait for the day when the foundation can disburse scholarships and help to make it possible for any child who wishes to participate in athletic offerings through Trussville Parks and Recreation to do so.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
