Poker for a Cause: Wounded Warriors

For so many combat-injured soldiers, the first footing back on the soil of their homeland isn't on their driveway or the threshold of their own home; it's on the linoleum of a corridor at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C.

Their path toward healing will be long — the average stay at Walter Reed is 386 days.

But the recovery is not just weight on the shoulders of the soldier; it is also a tremendous burden on the families, who are often stitching their lives back together as they try and spend as much time as possible with wounded heroes. 

The Scarsdale Police Department is working to help.

Members have traveled to Walter Reed  to visit wounded soldiers and raise money for the privately funded Family Assistance Center since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been underway.

And now, plans by Scarsdale Police officers Michael Rossetti, Ronnie Arefieg and John York for an event to raise as much money as possible to support the cause are set.

On Jan. 28 the Scarsdale Police Department's Police Benevolent Association will be hosting a poker event with the goal of raising as much money as possible for the Family Assistance Center.

The star of HBO's "Generation Kill" TV series, Chance Kelly, will be the guest speaker.  In preparing for his role as Lt. Col. Stephen "Godfather" Ferrando, Chance interacted with soldiers in Iraq who offered him a unique insight into what they deal with on a daily basis.

Scarsdale Police Sgt. Michael Rossetti, a personal friend of Kelly's, mentioned the event to him during the planning stages. Kelly volunteered to come out for the benefit.

"Right away I got a very positive response when I spoke to Chance," said Rosetti. "He is hoping to rally a few of the other actors to attend the event as well," he said.

About 60 players have signed up to play in the poker event so far and nearly 50 people have signed on for the dinner. Up to 100 players can join in for the poker game but there is no limit on non-players who may attend for dinner and cocktails. The cost for the tournament, dinner, drinks, cigars and entertainment is $200.

Tickets for the dinner are $90 each.

The event will feature a selection of gourmet foods from around the world, an open bar, professional cigar rolling, live music and a rare collectable sports memorabilia auction. 

Among other things a 50" LG plasma HDTV and Blu-ray player will be raffled off. 
Prizes will be awarded to the top four contestants in the Poker game. The 1st place winner will receive $5000, 2nd place will receive $2,500, 3rd place will receive $1,500 and 4th place will receive $1,000.

If you go:

• When: Thursday, Jan. 28 from 6 p.m. - TBD
• Where: The Westchester Manor, 140 Saw Mill River Road, Hastings-on-Hudson
• Price: $200 to play in the poker tournament; $90 for non-players. Price includes dinner and cocktails

 
Additionally, the Scarsdale Police is asking each PBA in Westchester County to either sponsor players at the tournament, send members to the dinner or make a donation to this worthy cause. 

Reservations and payments must be made ASAP. RSVP to either Sgt. Mike Rossetti, spdsgt110@verizon.net, Sgt. Jon York, jyork@scarsdale.com, or Officer Ronnie Arefieg rjarefieg@aol.com.