Feeling lucky? Looking for some fun?
The second annual Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament will be 7-11 p.m. July 16 at the Golf Club at Cinco Ranch, 23030 Cinco Ranch Blvd. Last year’s success prompted organizers to expand the playing field to 150 players and to relocate the event from The Villagio Town Center to the golf club. All proceeds will benefit Cinco Charities.
“Every penny of funds from that goes directly to house patients and their families,” said Ginger Hopper, board chairwoman of Cinco Charities.
For the last two years, the nonprofit has provided housing for family members of patients who have cancer or a terminal disease. But the group is looking to advance to the next stage – its own facility. Hopper said the goal is to obtain land this year and build a house similar to the Ronald McDonald House that can accommodate 10-12 families at a time.
“We want to build our house in Katy,” she said.
Brian Varvel, communications director for the nonprofit organization, said, “We’re searching for land for our facility. The ultimate goal is to build our own facility and house them ourselves rather than put them up in hotels.” He said the nonprofit figures it will need between $500,000 and $600,000 just for the land. “We hope to get it done in the next couple of years. It’s a long process,” Varvel said.
Once the land is acquired, the group will work with an architect on the next stage. Hopper said, “Each year we do two to three fundraisers and have individuals contribute so that we’re able to put these families up.” Varvel said they have provided hundreds of nights of lodging in hotels or apartments for families who have a loved one being treated in a hospital. Hopper said the group has helped families who have patients at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center as well as the Texas Medical Center.
“We have a lot of patients who request to receive treatment in Katy at M.D. Anderson at Christus St. Catherine Hospital,” she said. “We don’t turn a client down no matter what their choice of treatment is.”
Cinco Charities anticipates the need will increase because Texas Children’s West Campus pediatric hospital and The Methodist Hospital’s Katy hospital, both located at Barker-Cypress Road at the Katy Freeway, are expected to open later this year. Hopper said she has been chairwoman or co-chairwoman the five years the group has been in existence.
“The CEO of Keller Williams Realty challenged us to leave a legacy in the community that we sell real estate in,” Hopper said. “Many of us had a loved one who had been terminally ill with cancer or had lost someone to cancer. A group of us got together and started brainstorming and came up with concept for Cinco Charities.”
In Hopper’s case, it was her husband, Jim, who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and was treated in Katy. “That’s the reason for my passion with Cinco Charities,” Hopper said. Jim has been in remission almost five years. “We can’t save the world,” said Hopper, but Cinco Charities can make a difference. “We try to keep it pretty local.”
Cinco Charities Inc. is the nonprofit organization created and run by Keller Williams Realty Katy @ Cinco Ranch associates. Over the last five years, Cinco Charities has raised more than $100,000 to help families in town dealing with major medical conditions.
“We’re still looking for players,” said Varvel. “We need a little bigger venue. Last year, we had 80 players. We’re nearly double that this year. “We just had fantastic response last year. They were asking when the next one is when they walked out the door,” Varvel said.
Sponsors include Vida Loca Mexican Bar & Grill and Fish City. A cash bar will be available. To register to play, a suggested donation of $50 is requested. A suggested donation of $25 is requested for non-playing guests, who want to watch, eat and socialize, and take part in the door prizes. Players can register at www.cincocharities.org/fundraisers/poker/players.php.
Tickets also can be purchased at the Keller Williams Realty office in the Villagio Center at Peek Road and Westheimer Parkway. For information, call 281-220-2166 or visit www.cincocharities.org.
The preceding letter was originally published in the Houston Chronicle on July 4, 2010 and appeared online in their community blog, Ultimate Katy. You can view the original article online by visiting their website and reading the original article.