Nelson locals are being invited to dress up, blow on some dice and channel Lady Luck as a fundraiser for Nelson Tasman Hospice courtesy of a black-tie casino night called, High Stakes for Hospice.
Hosted by a local chapter of Business Network International (BNI), the organising committee for the event on Saturday, 17 October was inspired to raise money for the charity in part because several in the group have been involved personally. Committee member, Nick Walter is one of them. He is mindful of the contrast between the fundraising and fund spending.
“It’s kind of strange in a way, how the pure entertainment vibe of the casino night is completely at odds to the experience that people go through on a hospice journey, but embracing all those opportunities for joy and laughter are so relevant and they help offset the challenges that are also a big part of life. I think of my friend Mike Milstein often and I know that he and his partner deeply appreciated what the staff at Nelson Tasman Hospice did for him in those final weeks. Our team want to pay it forward and we hope that we can get a room full of Nelsonians who want to do that too.”
The BNI chapter of the business networking group also meets weekly at hospice which Nick says is a contributing factor in why they want to fundraise.
“Their operating costs are on our mind a lot. Because our chapter of BNI meets at hospice, it gives us a special sense of the place. Most of us are in a position to give back and so the obvious choice for us is hospice. We’ve fundraised from them before, but just small bake sales and stuff like that, but we just decided to go bigger.”
High Stakes for Hospice, which is to be held at the Nelson Yacht Club, aims to raise $10,000 for the charity. The hospice cares for around 210 local patients and their whānau each month and relies on the community to raise more than $4 million a year to keep its care for the community free.
The black tie event will feature most of the expected casino games including roulette, blackjack, and Texas hold ’em with the tables run by Nelson Rotary Club. Emphasis is on entertainment. Guests who finish with the most chips will take home a prize, while a booby prize may await the night’s biggest loser. The programme also includes live and silent auctions, and live music from Nelson musician Matt Werner.
For more information see the event website.
