We’re just coming off of Thanksgiving Weekend. The weather is getting colder, and ’tis the season to start thinking about what we are grateful for. This time of year we are also encouraged to think of others. I am proud to say that this November, the USS Kelly did exactly that.
On November 14th, we held an event we dubbed “Baby Blackjack”. I got this idea from my sister’s baby shower. She held it at a location that was segregated into two sections. One side had all the women playing the traditional baby shower games, but on the other side the men were playing poker. Their buy-in to the game? Diapers and wipes for the soon-to-arrive baby. I thought that was a fantastic idea, but I totally suck at poker. Therefore I changed it to a game I know well… blackjack.
We held the game at one of our favorite places, the lobby of the Fiiz Drinks located at
2530 W 4700 S (just off I-215) in Taylorsville, UT. (Big shout out to Fiiz for their support!) Just like the baby shower example, our “buy in” was baby items – diapers, wipes, baby food, even a stroller! Each item was worth a certain amount of poker chips. Cash donations were one chip per dollar and, just as we give promotional merit points for attending, being prepared, and being on time, we gave chips away for that as well.
Our Blackjack dealer was our XO’s husband, and he did a great job explaining the game to those who had never played before, how and when to bet, when to split, double down, the best times to stay or hit (take a new card). All in all, we had a blast playing the game (though I still think Dawn was trying to bribe the dealer…)
After we finished playing, we cashed out our chips for play money, which we then used to auction off prizes. We had everything from a Fiiz mug and refill card to a Star Trek 25th Anniversary Chess Set from Franklin Mint. There were all sorts of things for all sorts of tastes, and just about everyone went home with something. (I took home the “Dilithium Crystal” breath mints.)
All in all, it made for a fun night. But that’s not all. I also had the pleasure of taking the donated items to our charity of choice: South Valley Services.
South Valley Services helps people fleeing domestic violence. You can see their information at svsutah.org. Although our focus this time was on the women, and more specifically the babies, who are affected by domestic violence, I realized after reading their website that men are affected by this as well. Like sexual abuse, domestic violence is about asserting power and dominance over someone else and victims can be any age or gender.
If you need help escaping a domestic violence or abusive situation, please contact these wonderful people at 801-255-1095. (They also have a TTY line for the hearing impaired.) If you would like to donate to this great organization, please visit their donation page.