Chi Omega gambled for good this past weekend with its annual philanthropy event, Chi O Casino.
The mock casino brought in a lineup of classic casino games, including blackjack, poker, roulette, Texas Hold ’em and craps — all run by sorority members. Players who hit it big at the tables then cashed in chips for the chance to win a themed gift basket.
Each of the 37 baskets were valued at approximately $100 and were put together by small groups — called families — in the sorority, wherein each member either donated $10-15 or an item of that value, kinesiology junior Ivy Dunn said.
Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties is set to receive 100 percent of the proceeds. The charity organization has been in partnership with Chi Omega’s national organization since 2002 and with the Cal Poly chapter since 2008, Dunn said.
It’s an experience that’s been deeply impactful for Dunn, the sorority’s philanthropy chair. She explained that, in total, the event took about nine months to organize.
“It has been one of the best experiences of my life so far,” she said. “It’s taught me so much about myself as a person. It taught me how to work better with others and how to be better organized, so it was really impactful on me, personally.”
Chi Omega was hoping to top last year’s donation total of approximately $41,000. This year’s total won’t be in for a couple of weeks, but considering that the sorority raised approximately $27,000 going into the casino night, Dunn is hopeful that they hit the goal.
“Or at least we definitely got close,” she said.
Those who still want to donate to Make-A-Wish through the sorority can do so on its funding page, which had raised more than $20,260 as of Monday morning.