Naples Poker Run

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Held at the Hilton Naples, sponsored by RA Johnson Land Development. The Ride to Freedom poker run has begun! RIDING FOR THE BLUE RE-CAP July 18, 2020- (Naples, FL): The Riding For The Blue/Support For Law Enforcement Day was a huge success! We had over 175 riders support the Riding For The Blue Charity Poker run and even more supporters at our Support The Blue Rally at Seed To Table! THIS WAS A HUGE SUCESS!

For the 4th year in a row, a group of coaches, parents, and Special Olympics athletes will host the SUP Poker Run to benefit Special Olympics Florida – Collier County’s standup paddle team. The event will begin and end at Capri Fish House (203 Capri Blvd, Naples) on Saturday, June 4. Registration/check-in starts at 9:00 AM. The $50 entry fee includes an event shirt, a goody bag full of useful items for paddlers, and a buffet lunch.
Sponsorships are available at various levels, ranging from $50 to $1000. Individual and corporate donations of any amount are also welcome.
To register online in advance, to become a sponsor for the event, or to make a donation, go to https://specialolympicsflorida.org/get-involved/fundraise/collier-county-sup-poker-run/.
Following registration/check-in, participants will collect the first card of their poker hands at Capri Fish House. At each of the next three locations (Rose Marina, Snook Inn, and Island Gypsy Cafe), participants collect another card, and then collect their last card when they return to Capri Fish House. While standup paddle is the focus of the event, participants may move from one location to another in any way they like, by water or on land.
Prizes are awarded at the end of the day for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd best hands, as well as for the worst hand.
Special Olympics Florida – Collier County was a pioneer in introducing standup paddle to athletes with special needs, and two of the inaugural coaches for the team, MJ Weibling and Stephanie Dangler, helped lead the effort to have standup paddle adopted as an official Special Olympics Florida sport. In Collier, the sport has grown tremendously since a few coaches and athletes began the program in 2010. This year’s team includes 35 athletes and more than a dozen volunteer coaches.
All funds raised from the SUP Poker Run are used to purchase needed equipment for the team and to pay for travel expenses when the team participates in regional and state level competitions. Last year, proceeds from the SUP Poker Run, in conjunction with funds received from the Naples Children & Education Foundation, founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, allowed the team to purchase paddleboards, paddles, safety equipment, and a trailer for transporting the equipment.
For more information about the SUP Poker Run, email soccpokerrun@yahoo.com or call Stephanie Dangler at 239-450-1304.

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