Erie Poker Run Selects Charity For Inaugural Event
Elite Poker Runs LLC, the outfit behind the upcoming Erie Poker Run in Pennsylvania in June, has chosen a charity to benefit from the proceeds of the event. Established in 1989, the non-profit Erie-based Bayfront Maritime Center which has, according to the organization’s website, “provided over 15,000 community members from every socio-economic group, hands-on, year-round programming and built 91 boats in the process” will receive a donation from run’s organizers after the event is complete.
The primary force behind Elite Poker Runs, Anthony Scioli, has been the key organizer of the thriving Buffalo Poker Run in Western New York for several years. That event benefits Excalibur Leisure Skills, a non-profit organization in the Buffalo area. In choosing the Bayfront Maritime Center as the beneficiary charity for his organization’s first event in Erie, Scioli said he found exactly what he was looking for.
“I selected BMC because I really wanted to keep the charity local and marine,” he explained. “When I heard everything they do, it seemed like a no-brainer. They have the Adaptive Sailing program similar to what we have supported in Buffalo with Excalibur Leisure Skills for years. Along with their other great programs, the ‘Veterans At EASE (Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience)’ program sounds great and was the selling point for me. I think it is great that they are helping veterans get out on the water and helping them with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome). Supporting our veterans is something very important to me since they have made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy everything we have in this great country.”
Registration for the event, which will be limited to 60 boats, opens Feb. 1.
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