April 09, 2009

Go to Jail…Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200!

This was one of the many fun activities at this years’ MONOPOLY® Event & Casino Game Night held on Saturday, March 14th at Boca Raton Resort & Club to help raise funds for Boca Helping Hands.

Boca Raton, FL, April 7, 2009: Officer Rosalind Gualtieri, on loan from the Boca Raton Police Department, sported her pink handcuffs to help Boca Helping Hands raise over $78,000.00 for their building fund at this year’s 3rd Annual MONOPOLY® Event. Supporters who attended the event were asked to purchase “Get Out of Jail FREE” cards or spend time behind bars in a mock jail and wait for a friend to bail them out as part of the evening’s fun. The monies generated by this event will be used for Boca Helping Hands’ building fund.
In October of 2008 Boca Helping Hands was gifted with a building that will eventually bring all of their services together under one roof. The funds raised from the MONOPOLY® Event will be used to complete the build-out of the new Remillard Family Resource Center located at 1500 NW 1st Court.

The MONOPOLY® Tournament itself was the real highlight of the evening with 35 players all vying for the title of 2009 MONOPOLY® CHAMPION. Some Boca Helping Hands’ Volunteers served as bankers for the MONOPOLY® Tournament while others helped with registration and the silent auction.

Ray Rusotto and Dick Kulpa, two highly revered caricaturists from the area kept busy making chalk drawings of the guests at the event. Other highlights from the evening were a lounge band, silent auction and casino games. “I felt like I was in Las Vegas only I didn’t lose any money. Instead I donated money to Boca Helping Hands to play games and had a spectacular time. I can’t wait for next year,” said Larry Woldanski, one of the many guests who participated in the fun and games.

This year’s MONOPOLY® Champion, Mr. Tom Hankey, was greeted respectfully by the two previous years’ winners, Dr. Eric Shaw (2007) and Charles Siemons (2008). “We may be looking at a Championship Playoff at the 2010 MONOPOLY® Event & Casino Game Night,” stated Linda Gove, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. “I want to thank all of our volunteers and supporters who came out and made the evening so enjoyable and such a huge success.”

Boca Helping Hands is a local accredited agency dedicated to providing compassionate service through food and assistance programs to individuals, families and children to instill dignity and break the cycle of dependence. Boca Helping Hands serves families in our community in crisis with food and assistance programs. Our focus on job mentoring and job placement is a vital part of helping people break the cycle of dependency. If you would like more information regarding the programs at Boca Helping Hands please visit our website at www.bocahelpinghands.org or call 561-417-0913.