Grand Prix Foundation of Long Beach Announces 2015 Monte Carlo Night
The golf tournament, which has annually taken place on Monday of race week, has been cancelled for this year.
“We had a date conflict for the golf tournament, and decided to use that as an opportunity to upgrade the event for next year," said Foundation President Rick DuRee. “I think players and supporters are going to be thrilled with the changes when they hear what we have planned."
Monte Carlo Night, which was a popular Friday night race-themed party until 2003, will feature Casino-style gambling, tentatively including a poker tournament, all evening with winners vying for prizes.
The event will take place from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 17. DuRee said the extremely fan-friendly aspects of Monte Carlo Night made the decision easy for the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
“There’s no need to worry about black tie and formal gowns — people can come straight from the track to Monte Carlo Night," DuRee said. “You can come early, you can come late, or you can come and play the entire time. We’ll have lots of great prizes and a race-inspired atmosphere that will be hard to forget."
Duree said further details and ticket information will be announced soon.
The Foundation, established in 1991, has donated more than $3 million to an array of charitable organizations throughout the greater Long Beach area. In 2014, the Foundation contributed to local charities such as Miller Children’s Hospital, Women’s Shelter Long Beach, Operation Jump Start, the Short Stop Program, Ronald McDonald House and the Long Beach Century Club, along with the Robert E. Leslie Scholarship Program.
Among the charities that will benefit from the Foundations activities in 2015 are Miller Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County, the Long Beach Area Special Olympics and the scholarship program, which creates seven $1,500 scholarships to be awarded to graduating Long Beach high school students. Thanks to low administrative costs and a volunteer base of more than 200 local citizens, 90 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to charities selected by the Foundation’s 11-member Board of Directors.
For more information, visit www.gplb.com/grand-prix-foundation or call (562) 490-4509.