Chi Omega hopes to exceed the $33,000 it brought in at last year’s Chi O Casino by extending the event to a week dedicated to raising money for Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties.
Kait Freeberg
Special to Mustang News
One of the most well-known service events on Cal Poly’s campus is Chi O Casino. Taking place on March 1, this year’s mock casino will will feature craps, roulette, poker, blackjack, a photo booth, prizes and more. The sorority hopes to exceed the $33,000 it brought in last year by extending the event to a week dedicated to raising money for Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties.
“We would really like to meet our goal, and preferably make more money than last year,” communication studies senior and public relations chairman for Chi O Casino Kalli Ries said.
With each day of the week offering an event, San Luis Obispo community members and Cal Poly students will be able visit local restaurants with 15-20 percent of all proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“I know another chapter of Chi O did it, we basically heard about it from them,” Ries said. “We decided it would be good for San Luis Obispo. We figured all the small businesses in San Luis Obispo would want to help. We thought this would be a very interactive way to raise money.”
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy, according to a Jan. 21 press release.
“For each $5,000 raised, Chi Omega is able to adopt the wish of a local child with a life-threatening medical condition,” Shanna Wasson Taylor, CEO for Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties, said in the press release.
With its work from the past five years, Chi Omega has been able to grant 11 wishes to children so far.
“We do get to meet the kids, and we have wish-granting parties. One of the kids over the summer wanted to go to Disneyland … We met him at the park to officially grant the wish,” Ries said. “That is always in our head when we are fundraising.”
At the 2012-13 greek awards, Panhellenic sorority Chi Omega was presented with multiple honors, including the Philanthropy Award, Best Contribution to Cal Poly and Chapter of the Year.
Pre-sale tickets to Chi O Casino are available for $5 and at the door for $10. The event will be held at Chumash Auditorium from 7-10 p.m. on March 1.
For more information about Chi O Casino, contact Alexis Dela Cruz at adelac02@calpoly.edu.