Dice rolled and chips piled up as students put their luck on the table in the University Student Union Saturday night for a charitable cause.
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE) hosted Casino Night, benefiting children’s charities and Japan relief.
Students and parents came out to play their luck in games popular to the casino scene, like blackjack, craps and roulette. Attendees could take a break from their losses by visiting the snack bar or getting their caricature drawn.
Included with the entrance ticket were refreshments, appetizers and play chips. The ticket itself also provided an opportunity in a drawing for various prizes ranging from mugs to a limited edition Disney statuette or a watch worth $200, all of which per paid for with donations.
Of the profits, 70 percent went toward an outreach program to help kids who come from underprivileged circumstances or may not have certain resources available to them. The other 30 percent will be donated to Globalgiving.org. to help the Japan relief fund.
“We hope to, with the money we raise, have enough money to reach or at least inspire these kids, give them a little ray of light,” said Luis J. Rocha, President of SHPE and organizer of Casino Night. “The 70 percent of the profits will be divided into different portions.”
The goal is to reach out to 200 kids by October. Rocha said that they also have to take care of immediate needs as well.
“One of our students here works for Paramount School and she has been asking for a microscope for the school for quite a while,” Rocha said. ” We were hoping that with some of the money we would be able to not only buy one for her, but buy some for other schools.”
Sponsorships from organizations and individuals such as Associated Students Inc. and Councilman Nestor Valencia made Casino Night possible.
Attendees said the event was entertaining and fun.
“It was very, very good, very nice,” said Martha Reyes, mother of an SHPE member. “You should do this again.”