| Events |
Casino Night Raises over $4,000 for SAMCAR Foundation
On Thursday, September 19, 2024, the San Mateo County REALTORS® Foundation hosted CASINO NIGHT, a fundraiser event at Par 3 at Poplar Creek in San Mateo, bringing together SAMCAR members, staff, and friends for food and drink, games, live auction and fun, raising over $4,000 to benefit housing-related charities in San Mateo County.
View photos by Craig Burleigh on Flickr
Volunteers from SAMCAR's Special Events Committee greeted guests at the entrance to the ballroom of Par 3 at Poplar Creek and provided a warm welcome to the space with sweeping views of the golf course, a delectable buffet and bar, and entertaining casino-style games tables provided for entertainment purposes by 3 Of A Kind Casino Events.
Local business and members also donated an assortment of valuable prize items, including gift certificiates and swag, which were awarded to lucky winners from a drawing at the event. And guests were given the opportunity to bid on a chance to host their very own casino event thanks to a generous live auction donation from Club Parlaey in San Francisco. See a list of prize donations in the digital event program.
As one of the signature #SAMCARGivesBack fundraising events, Casino Night directly benefits the SAMCAR Foundation allowing the group to provide grants to local charities for the remainder of the year.
Each quarter, the Foundation Council reviews grant requests from local charities and proudly supports organizations including HEART of San Mateo County, StarVista, Samaritan House, Caminar, CORA, Rebuilding Together Peninsula, LifeMoves and many others.
Funds for these grants are raised at fundraiser events like the Casino Night in addition to direct contributions by SAMCAR members.
These events not only provide funding for Foundation grants, but also create opportunities for the networking among real estate colleagues that is essential to promoting professionalism in the industry, a core component of the association's mission.
SAMCAR events are possible in large part thanks to generous contributions from annual sponsors—organizations that make annual contributions to SAMCAR to fund association activities and charitable fundraising.
Planning and staffing these events are only possible with the support of SAMCAR staff and the Special Events Committee, a group of dedicated member volunteers who give generously of their time to plan and promote events, chaired by Andrea Bologna and vice-chair Jim Enes in 2024 with support from volunteers Naz Amir, Toni Burrows, Marlin Handley, Val Hardwick, Betcy Jacob, Haydee Marshall, Veronica Mora, Ann Palermo, Andrew Rodriguez, Craig Thorson and Michelle Velez. These committee members are responsible for collecting prize donations, setting up for the event, running the guest check-in table, making announcements and much more to ensure an enjoyable experience for attendees.
The SAMCAR Foundation encourages housing-related nonprofits operating in San Mateo County to apply for grants from www.samcarfoundation.org Grant application deadlines are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15 to be considered during that quarter.
