Traverse City, MI — On Saturday, August 18, 2018, more than 50 powerboat owners and members of the TC Invitational Offshore Powerboat Association held the Inaugural TC Poker Run on West Bay, raising nearly $30,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“We are just so pleased to be able to make an impact on children in our community and do something we love at the same time,” said event coordinator Matt Soper of the Poker Run.
Pictured: Driver, Mike Knoblock with Little Brother Adrian from Big Brothers Big Sisters Sunday morning on board the MAMBA for a personal tour “this is what it’s all about . . . this very shy and sweet young boy was grinning from ear to ear after his ride on the MAMBA with Mike, and special thanks to boat owners Todd and Kathy Basch Nortech, these are all giant hearts helping these little guys and gals out”, said Soper.
On Friday evening, boaters gathered to register for the event and on Saturday afternoon they boated to four locations where they obtained cards in a sealed envelope for their poker hand. Saturday evening they all attended a celebration dinner at the top of the Indigo where they received their fifth and final card completing their poker hand. The winning hand received the Big Winning Cup Trophy and two nights’ stay at the Indigo Hotel.
Most importantly, though, boaters and attendees made generous donations to Big Brothers Big Sisters to help fund their program to provide adult mentors to children in need in the northwestern region of Michigan, including Grand Traverse, Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Kalkaska Counties.
“It was truly heartwarming to see how fast these guys responded when asked to support children in need, and how generous they were, not just with their financial support, but their time on Sunday taking the Bigs and Littles for boat rides on these amazing boats. Many of these guys don’t even live in our area. This truly is a blessing for our program”, said Cecilia Chesney, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan.