THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410140266
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
The dice will be rolling and the roulette wheel spinning on the evening of Oct. 22 in the Omni International Hotel at Waterside in downtown Norfolk. Though there will be play money on the tables, the cause will be real, as the Chesapeake Care Free Clinic hosts Casino Night, the facility's second anniversary fund-raiser.
``Last year we had a black-tie ball. We thought we'd do something a little less formal this time,'' said Rita Ranger, public relations director of the clinic.
The festivities will take place on the hotel's second floor, which will be made to look and feel as much like a casino as possible. All guests will receive $10,000 worth of chips at the door. Gamblers can use their earnings to purchase tickets for an auction. Jewelry, art work, and round-trip air fare to Mexico, New York and Atlantic City are among the items up for grabs. There will also be live musical entertainment, an impressionist, a magician, heavy hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.
``We have something for everyone,'' she said. ``We hope to raise at least $10,000.''
Casino Night follows a golf tournament fund-raiser the clinic held last spring. Benefits are a vital source of income to cover the cost of day-to-day operations. Revenues alone, however, won't keep the doors open, according to Ranger.
``Outside of three paid employees, the rest of the staff works on a volunteer basis. Without the donated time and services of physicians, nurses and laymen from all over Hampton Roads, the facility wouldn't exist,'' emphasized Ranger, who is also a volunteer.
Founded by Dr. Juan Montero, the clinic provides a range of health care for approximately 150 to 200 people a week. Both general and specialized attention are available. Services vary from easing the common cold to relieving a toothache to providing psychiatric assistance. Everything is absolutely free. If diagnoses are of a more serious or emergent nature, the staff sends patients to area hospitals and other health care institutions. Chesapeake General takes in many of the more critical cases.
Among the patients who come to the clinic are the working poor, people who have lost their jobs and Vietnam veterans.
``Our mission is to provide health care for those who cannot afford insurance or qualify for government assistance,'' Ranger explained. ``There are a lot of people falling through the cracks. And we're seeing more every month.''
Ranger hopes Casino Night will generate the funds needed to help offset the growing volume of patients. The event is open to the public at $50 a person.
``We're shooting for 400 guests,'' she said. ``We'd like to see people buying tickets in advance, but we'll be happy to take them at the door, too.'' MEMO: More information on Casino Night is available by calling the clinic
hotline at 424-1173.
by CNB