Casino Night Fundraiser
January 14, 2010

Get Ready to Roll for a Cause
We’re excited to announce our second annual Casino Night, and are looking forward to building on the tradition we started last year by raising money for an important cause. This year, we’ve partnered with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization that provides college educations to the surviving children of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations personnel killed in combat or training. The Foundation also provides immediate financial assistance to special operations personnel severely wounded in the global war on terror.

The Casino Night experience will be complete with craps, black jack, three-card poker
and roulette.

In exchange for your donation to the Warrior Foundation, you’ll receive “play money” that you can then swap for chips and play your favorite casino games. At the end of the night, you’ll trade in your chips for raffle tickets that you can use to enter a drawing for some incredible prizes.

All proceeds from the Casino Night will go to the Warrior Foundation. Also, Advisors Excel will match all the donations up to $25,000. We’ll present a check to the Warrior Foundation during the awards ceremony and honor some of the Foundation’s beneficiaries.

This is a prime opportunity for us to come together, raise money and salute the children of our true American heroes.

In addition, the Warrior Foundation’s national spokesman, Keni Thomas, a national recording singer/songwriter, and his band Cornbread will perform an exclusive concert just for us!

A former Army Ranger and member of the elite Task Force Ranger assault unit, Keni Thomas fought in the 18-hour Somalia battle recounted in the book and major motion picture Black Hawk Down. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the combat infantryman’s badge.

A former Army Ranger and member of the elite Task Force Ranger assault unit, Keni Thomas fought in the 18 hour Somalia battle recounted in the book and major motion picture Black Hawk Down. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the combat infantryman's badge. Read more about Keni Thomas.

What a great way to honor the past, build the future and have a lot of fun!

Keni Thomas
Real Life American Hero

A former Army Ranger and member of the elite Task Force Ranger assault unit, Keni Thomas fought in the 18 hour Somalia battle recounted in the book and major motion picture Black Hawk Down. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the combat infantryman's badge.

Keni is also a national recording singer/songwriter, and he and his band Cornbread (named after the precooked military food that no one but Keni enjoyed) tour steadily opening for top artists like Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Trace Atkins, Montgomery Gentry and Wynonna. They have traveled for years to the Middle East, volunteering their time as part of the USO's "Hope and Freedom" holiday show.

Most recently, Keni was invited to sing the national anthem at the opening game of the 2009 World Series at Yankee Stadium.

Keni is the national spokesman for the Hero Fund and Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and his dedicated work on behalf of our veterans has been recognized by Congress and the National Defense Foundation.

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Special Operations Warrior Foundation Facts & Figures

125 - The number of college students currently enrolled in colleges and universities with assistance from the SOWF. The Foundation provides scholarship grants, not loans, for tuition, books, fees, room and board. The Foundation also provides all new college freshmen with a laptop computer and printer.

745 - The total number of children/students in the SOWF program (since 1980).

$16,000 - The national average cost for a one year of college at a state university.

695 - The number of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations personnel killed in combat or training since 1980. 

94% - The percentage of each dollar donated that is contributed directly to programs.  The SOWF strives to maintain a low overhead of 5.8%.

$1.5 million - The total amount of funding provided by the SOWF in 2007 in support of scholarship grants, academic, financial aid and family support to special operations families.

$540,000 - Amount of financial support provided to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.

4 - The number of stars awarded (out of 4 stars) by the nation's leading charity watchdog group for four consecutive years. This top award is presented to charities with proven financial efficiency. Only 7 percent of all charities evaluated have received this esteemed award for four straight years.

Learn more about the foundation.