Desert Storm Kicks Off in Charitable Fashion
I debated going to bed or writing a quick blurb about the Wednesday evening festivities that kicked off the Desert Storm Poker Run—the open house and live auction at OCM of Lake Havasu. Obviously, if you look at the time stamp, I decided not to wait.
First of all, what an awesome turnout from boat owners to industry icons to media presence. Tim McDonald, owner of Oregon Custom Marine, seemed a little surprised by the attendance, which he estimated at more than double the 2011 event—last year he had just opened the Lake Havasu City, Ariz., location.
“It was amazing here tonight,” McDonald said. “It’s just so cool to have all these people from within the industry in one place. It’s great for the business and it’s great for the customers. Of course, we know it’s the boats that bring them here, but raising money for a good cause is what it’s all about.”
I have no idea how much money was raised, but I did see an autographed Justin Bieber item go for $1,500 and a specialty Dean Loucks fine art piece for $2,000. And there were at least a dozen more items up for grabs, with all of the donations going toward three charities affiliated with “Krusin’ for Kids.”
Earlier in the day many boaters came together for Krusin’ for Kids to provide rides for special needs children and adults. The three organizations the poker run teamed up with are Havasu for Youth, New Horizons and Civitan Foundation.
Special thanks to Romer Beverage and the Lake Havasu Marine Association for providing the beers and brats. Well it’s off to bed—got to be ready to hit McCulloch Boulevard for the Street Party tomorrow, and then it’s poker run time on Friday.
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