Despite its poker theme, an American Heart Association event in Flower Mound hopes to encourage southern Denton County residents not to gamble on heart health.
The poker tournament, which will be more of a for-fun atmosphere with little at stake, will be hosted at Circle R Ranch in Flower Mound on Friday, Nov. 6 from 6-9 p.m.
According to Theo Aquino, the event organizer and a southern Denton County resident, all proceeds will go toward the AHA’s life-saving initiatives.
Recently, AHA helped provide AEDs to Fort Worth police cars. Aquino said the organization is also in talks with Flower Mound to see how the town might be able to benefit from additional funding.
Individual participation for the event will be $250, but AHA is also looking for business sponsors, which help support AHA’s initiatives and gives members of the business access to the event.
“We can’t do those kinds of things without donations,” said Aquino. “And they go directly towards something local, so it’s an opportunity to be a great community member.”
In addition to poker games with professional dealers, the event will also feature a buffet with brisket and sausage, as well as a cash bar.
Top performers from the tournament can enjoy a prize for their good play.
It wouldn’t be a health event without some educational opportunities, so there will also be opportunities for event attendees to learn how to perform CPR.
“One of our chief goals is to increase awareness of hands-only CPR,” said Aquino. “We’ve had events where people, even kids, learn CPR and end up using it to save someone’s life the next day.”
Many times, the AHA hosts heart walks or luncheons or other evens, but Aquino wanted to bring something different to the community he lives in.
The AHA does high-level research toward prevention efforts, but also helps out local food banks and has started providing some places portable blood pressure monitors.
To learn more about the event, or to register as an individual or a business, scan the QR code on the event’s poster.
