Thursday, March 5, 2009

Poker Night : Food, Games and Fun for a cause...

Here is a short article about "Poker Night" , a fundraising event organized on 20th February 2009 by our own Team Asha 10K runners, Latha & Kalyani.

While blogging and getting the word out is one source of getting the $$ for our contribution, Kalyani and I (Latha) wanted to try a few of our well tested fundraising endeavors that we have already attempted in the past. So, when Kalyani suggested a “Game Night with games, fun and food", I instantly agreed – we knew for sure that people like socializing and playing games. With this in mind, we then put together a list of good friends who might be willing to pitch in money for some food and good evening together, and at the same time help Underprivileged Children in India. So, we decided to act on it right away. We planned it for a Friday on the 20th of February. Originally we were thinking about renting a Community Hall with the theme "FOR THE LOVE OF ASHA" on Valentine's day. But the logistics of acquiring the hall and the head count of attendees didn't seem like a viable option. The game night was organized at Kalyani’s house.

The food was simple, filling hopefully and an enticing menu!! The goal was to raise funds for a cause and at the same time have a good time with like-minded people. We had requested for RSVP, so we can be prepared for the evening. We were going to get a head count on Thursday evening and we had around 10 folks including our partners in crime (a.k.a spouses!). And to my surprise, I get a call from a friend of mine who has just completed her onslaught of Chemo and Radiation, fighting her breast cancer daemon. She informs me that her 18 year old son and few of his freshman friends wanted to come and help us while they show us their skills (eventually we found out were as good if not better than their academic skills, as you can guess these kids were the top performers in their high school and probably in college too) .They had something in common with us : the will to Invest in Education and help others who needed a helping hand. It was heart-warming for me to see these youngsters who opened their wallets and contributed to a good cause they believe in. Of course, there were our Team Asha comrades, and our other friends who came and supported us in this effort, and also had a great time, especially that notorious, mostly noisy, Black Jack Table!

Here is a link to the pictures of the Poker Night:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ashaaustinmarathon/FundraiserPokerNight#

All in all, it was a nice evening of putting one step in front of the other in our efforts towards raising funds for Asha and training to run the 10K on March 29,2009.

So, come join the fun @ Bridge Night and the Photography Workshop & Contest.

1. Game Night of Bridge and Black Jack
Date - 3/6/2009
Venue - 1505, Barclay drive, Austin, TX
Time - 8:00 PM
Cost - $12.00 per player ($2.00 for the table and $ 1.00 to cover cost of supplies )

2. Photography "Tips & Tricks" Workshop & Contest
(mainly for kids & kids @ heart)
Date - 3/15/2009 (Initial Workshop)
Venue - Will be informed on RSVP
Time - 10:00 AM
Cost - $25.00

For more information on the upcoming events or to RSVP, contact :
Latha Iyengar (latha.iyengar@gmail.com, 512.775.6583) or
Kalyani Sundaresan (kalyanisundar86@gmail.com, 512.809.2579).

Hope to see you all there!

Cheers,
Latha & Kalyani

No comments: