JACKSON — Next month, one or two buses will travel from Brookwood Plaza in Jackson to the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City — not just for games of chance and prizes — but also to benefit local organizations through the Jackson Rotary Club.
On Sept. 7, the Rotary Club will host one of its regular excursions to Atlantic City. Those who make the trip will spend a day at the Tropicana, enjoy lunch and beverages on the bus trip, and receive $25 in slot play. The cost of the trip is $32.
For more than 40 years, the Rotary Club has worked to “develop acquaintance as an opportunity for service [through] high ethical standards in business and professions” to further the “advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons,” according to its mission statement.
Thomas Barchie, a member of the Rotary Club, said the trip to Atlantic City is part of the organization’s ongoing effort to raise money for a number of philanthropic efforts in and around Jackson.
“We are a community service organization so we first look at the Jackson community, but we also look at outside organizations to help, too,” Barchie said.
Organizations that are slated to receive support through the September trip include local military families, the Jackson Food Pantry, the St. Vincent DePaul Society, Providence House, Ocean of Love and the Alpha School.
Barchie said some of the funds go toward an annual scholarship for Jackson high school students and a program that provides new dictionaries for third-graders.
“There are a lot of people who come in who are local and have local charities and we will help them out. It’s ongoing, and we just don’t stop,” he said. “If there is someone in need, we are going to try to help that individual or group.”
Local business operators have pledged to donate items for a raffle that will be held on the bus.
Businesses such as All-Star Bagels, Bennetts Mills Road; Romeo’s Pizza & Pasta Factory, South New Prospect Road; The Mug Rack, West Veterans Highway; Contemporary Concepts, South New Prospect Road; Carlson Automotive & Body Shop, Bennetts Mills Road; and Sam’s Barber Shop, West County Line Road, have offered support.
The operators of the Ivy League Bar and Grill, Route, 9, Howell, and Stewart’s Root Beer, Route 9, Howell, have also offered to assist the organization.
Barchie said club members have also contributed gifts to the raffle to help make sure more money is raised.
“We try to help everyone we can,” he said.
In addition to the Sept. 7 trip to the Tropicana, the organization will host the seventh annual Jackson Rotary Charity Golf Tournament on Aug. 18 at the Westlake Golf and Country Club, Jackson.
The cost to participate is $130 ($520 for a foursome). The price includes a continental breakfast, golf cart, golf, a luncheon, beverages and prizes.
Proceeds from the golf outing will also go to the aforementioned charities, as well as to help fund a fishing derby for individuals with special needs and a family picnic, to be held at a later date.
For more information about the Tropicana casino trip on Sept. 7, call Barchie, 732-207-4029, or Bob Paneque, 609-891- 5915.
For more information about the golf outing on Aug. 18, call Steve Redish, 732-642- 2413, Mike Gormley, 732-456-1509, or Barchie.