Viva, Viva, Lost Wages!! Well, maybe those are not the exact words of the famous Elvis song, but as we all can imagine those words fit the exact same meaning of Las Vegas! Once again, the LEAP Ambassadors are back for the annual Casino Night at the HEARTS Veterans Museum. The theme for this year’s casino night was 50’s and 60’s retro, so the LEAP Ambassadors left their suits at home and came in retro costumes of varying authenticity.
Of course, the boys displayed their stylish bowties. It was a particularly poignant event for me. It was my first event as a LEAP Ambassador last year, and it is my last event of this academic year, my last as an SHSU student. THe roulette wheel, as it were, went full circle. So I went all in on the costume.
The H.E.A.R.T.S Veterans Museum of Texas honors veterans both past and present. The museum serves as a place for former, present, and future veterans to all come together to reflect on and share their experiences serving the country. Just as important, the museum allows all people to see the price that our veterans and those serving today have paid for this country. They do this through exhibits and programming, the latter led by the capable Letty Clark and when she asked us to volunteer for this event, we were more than happy to do so.
After a delicious meal, and a concert from Marilyn Monroe herself…
…the gambling began and the crowd rushed to the games! The games included poker, black jack, bingo and many slot machines. All the LEAP Ambassadors were very busy with their tasks.
Alex and Karla sold tickets for the raffle.
Bryan helped develop fabulous pictures to capture everyone’s great memories of the night.
Karla and Beatriz enjoyed their time helping at the Bingo Table.
And the two most outgoing Ambassadors, Megan and yours truly, used our charm to sell poker chips.
Before the night ended, the Ambassadors were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to play some of the casino games. For some, it was their first time playing, but I was there to guide them through the process.
We had some winners and some losers at the tables, but it was all fun!
After the gambling had ceased, the main event had come: the raffle for prizes. Megan was the prize announcer and Alex chose all of the lucky winning tickets. Some of the major prizes included a one-hour massage at The Facemaker, a barbecue grill, a shotgun, and a trip to a resort and casino!
With some time spent with Marilyn Monroe, some time spent with one of our favorite community members Letty Clark, and some time spent together for a good cause, made it a fun, rewarding evening.
Of course, on a sadder note, I’ll be leaving my SHSU family, a prospect that made everyone sad (except, apparently, for Beatriz and Brian) …
But I’ll be back–for next year’s football game and some other random occasions, and LEAP will continue doing its usual combination of volunteerism, programming, pre-lawing, and travel excursions. Until then…
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Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 