Here’s the deal: Aggies gamble for charity
The holiday season is near.
And while most are buying presents and thinking of family, Dane Cooper, CJ Neil and Aggie volunteers are at work raising money to buy local families holiday meals.
Nov. 21 from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Cooper and Neil are throwing a suit-and-tie dance and casino night at the Riverwoods Conference Center. The event promises to be something different than the kind of parties most in Logan are used to.
“Our goal is to make it feel like you’re at a casino,” Cooper said.
Cooper and Neil are asking all those who wish to attend to come in their best dress to class up the event and make it fun and unique.
In the past, Cooper was partially responsible for other large-scale activities, including the chocolate water slide and Costume Catastrophe Halloween dance earlier this year. He said this party will be on a similar scale, but with a lighter atmosphere.
The event is open to the public with the only requirement being a $5 entry fee. Chips will be given at the door, and once inside, attendees can choose to donate more money for additional chips. The chips can then be used to claim prizes, including an iPad, Apple Watch, a GoPro and backpacks. All proceeds will go to providing holiday meals to local families.
Entertainment will include poker, roulette and blackjack, along with a separate area for those who want to dance. Music will be provided by Aggie DJs COMMIX and T-Katt.
“It’ll be mixture of Frank Sinatra and Top 40,” Cooper said.
The wide variety of activities and the good cause will hopefully make for a one-of-a-kind experience.
“I think it’s a great idea that hasn’t been done before,” said Madi Petty, a freshman at Utah State University and one of the volunteers for the event.
While Cooper and Neil are excited about the event itself, they are even more excited about the opportunity to give back to the local community. Both appreciate being able to see the faces of the people they are helping, which is why they chose to keep the focus of this charity local.
“This is giving back to people who are next to us; people who are our neighbors,” Cooper said.
The casino night presents an opportunity for college students to show support for the community, and Cooper said he sees this as a way to give thanks for the support the community gives to students.
“We want to bring the college to the city. We want to show the city that college students are here and here to give,” he said.
While Cooper and Neil already have several families in mind, they would like to encourage anyone to contact them via Twitter or Facebook if they know families in need this year.
Many students share Cooper’s spirit of community charity and have offered to give their time on Saturday to help run the event. Whether it’s working the poker tables or setting up the event, students have agreed to give their time to help make the evening an enjoyable one.
“I love the opportunity to be involved in something new and create a great atmosphere in the event,” Petty said.
Cooper believes the casino night will be a memorable way to spend a Saturday night and views it as a win-win for everyone.
“It’s a great chance for people to have fun for charity,” he said.
— colehammond95@gmail.com
@colehammondUSU