91原创

Winners of the Mangat family charity poker tournament and cancer fundraiser in Aldergrove all donated their winnings back, an 鈥渁wed鈥� organizer Jodi Mangat told the 91原创 Advance Times.

After Jeff Mearcher from Mission reached the final table and went on to win first place at the event, held at the Royal Canadian Legion Aldergrove branch on Saturday, June 10, he gave his $1,.000 prize back.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 need the money,鈥� Mangat recalls Mearcher saying.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not why I came here. I came to have fun and support a good cause.鈥�

So did Chad Blondin of Abbotsford, who took second place and gave back his prize of $800, and Lyle Kosolo of Port Coquitlam, who finished third and declined to collect his prize of $600.

Thanks to the generosity of the winners, the tournament set a new fund-raising record of $9,000, almost double the previous best.

Mangat described it as an emotional moment.

鈥淚 can truly say that I am so proud to be a part of a community that comes together as one,鈥� Mangat commented.

鈥淚 have never felt so much love and support in one room. It was overwhelming but very warming knowing that there are so many good people in the world.鈥�

Mangat also thanked the 15 volunteers who helped organize the event, the Aldergrove Legion for providing the space and Aldergrove Elks for donating $500.

Jodi and her family have been holding fundraisers since 2015, to honour the memory of her mother Surjit Dhillon, who passed away of pancreatic cancer at age 72 in 2014, with funds raised going to B.C. Cancer and individual families.

They also hold a Mangat Family Softball Memorial Tournament fundraiser, which will take place this summer from August 26-27 at Phillip Jackman park in Aldergrove.

Anyone interested can register on Facebook on the page or contact the family at jodi8475@gmail.com. There is a maximum of 14 teams.

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