Gallery Of The Week: Record-Setting Donation Highlights Support Our Troops Poker Run
Between the sales team, service center and offshore racing program, it’s clear that teamwork is a big key to Performance Boat Center’s success. That teamwork also was on display in other ways last weekend as Brett Manire, Missi Coil, Jordan Major and Chy Muscia organized another successful Support Our Troops Poker Run on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, bringing in $35,000—the most in the event’s 11-year history—for H.E.R.O.E.S. Care, the Fenton, Mo.-based program that provides support for members of all branches of the military and their families through pre-deployment, deployment, family reintegration and post-deployment.
More than 80 boats participated in last Friday’s 11th annual Support Our Troops Poker Run on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. All photos courtesy Brad Glidewell/Brad Glidwell Photography
Not only did the Performance Boat Center- and MidwestBoatParty.com-sponsored event set a record for money donated, 28 active-duty military members got the opportunity to join Friday’s poker run, which included 13 different stop options, thanks to many of the 80-plus generous performance boat owners in attendance. Manire took three military members with him in the Cigarette Racing Team 38’ Top Gun that was recently restored and shown off at the Performance Boat Center-hosted Cigarette Owners Rendezvous (read the story), and he said they were blown away.
“One of the people who came with us literally thought we were going to be playing poker on some old paddle-wheel-style riverboat, so getting a ride on a 38-foot Cigarette was quite different and more fun than expected,” Manire said. “We took people in the Cigarette and the state-of-the-art Wright Performance 360 cat and everyone had a great time. The weather was warm—the heat index was over 100 degrees—but it was nice so people got to enjoy the pools on Friday and Saturday.”
Check out more of Brad Glidwell’s terrific images from the Support Our Troops Poker Run in the slideshow above.
The best part, Manire said, is that they raised a significant amount of money for an organization that gives back 97 cents of every dollar raised to the military personnel who need it most.
“We are honored to work with H.E.R.O.E.S. Care and its founder Jon Jerome—they do amazing work,” Manire added. “We’re planning to do the event again next year and hope to be able to set another donation record.”
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