Poker and baseball 鈥� two recreational pastimes that, thanks to Aldergrove resident Jodi Mangat, will have a charitable spin that will go towards fighting cancer.
The Mangat family had previously held an annual poker tournament that had raked in more than $30,000 in the past five years.
COVID-19 put a stop to the event in 2020, which typically attracts dozens of players to legion branch #265 for a night of both fun and generosity.
鈥淣ormally, each year our family does a poker tournament fundraiser and we donate the funds either directly to BC Cancer or to a family/individual,鈥� Mangat explained. 鈥淒ue to COVID, we weren鈥檛 able to put on our poker tournament last year, and this year was too short notice for us to fundraise before the tournament.鈥�
Despite the ongoing pandemic altering plans and personally affecting the health of many, Mangat said the memories of those lost to cancer are still fresh.
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The origins of poker night stem from the loss of her mother, Kaur Dhillon, who passed away in December of 2014. More recently, her friend Amrik 鈥楳oti鈥� Basi passed away from the disease in January of this year.
鈥淭his is who I fundraise for,鈥� Mangat assured. 鈥淚n memory of our loved ones. Our family will continue to help families affected by cancer.鈥�
The poker fundraiser will return on Saturday night, Aug. 21, at the Aldergrove Legion in memory of Basi, while a charity softball tournament will take place the following weekend, Aug. 28 and 29 in Aldergrove at Philip Jackman fields.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking for a minimum 10 teams and once we have them we鈥檒l confirm the tournament,鈥� she said, hoping the tournament will help make up for lost funds from last year. 鈥淸The] entry fee will be $400 a team with all proceeds being donated.鈥�
Most of the money has gone towards BC Cancer, though nearly $6,000 has assisted Aldergrove families, struggling, in the midst of the disease.
For more information or to sign up for the poker tournament or softball tournament, Mangat can be reached at 604-825-1594.
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