MLB star hosts CHKD fundraiser
Published 7:52 pm Friday, December 26, 2014
![Guests at last year’s Vegas Night, raising money for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, enjoy the thrill of a simulated horse race. Hosted again by New York Mets baseball player David Wright, the fifth installment of he popular event is set for January.](https://www.suffolknewsherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2014/12/portraits-214-3042836158-O.jpg)
Guests at last year’s Vegas Night, raising money for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, enjoy the thrill of a simulated horse race. Hosted again by New York Mets baseball player David Wright, the fifth installment of he popular event is set for January.
For the fifth consecutive year, New York Mets third baseman and Hampton Roads local David Wright will host a Las Vegas-themed fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters.
Vegas Night, benefiting the thousands of children served by the hospital every year, will be held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center on Jan. 23.
Beginning at 7 p.m., the evening will include a silent auction and casino gaming. Craps, roulette, blackjack, horse racing and poker are all included. Cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres and dessert will be served.
Karen Gershman, director of development at the hospital, helped Wright start the popular event, which to date has raised more than $560,000.
Most of that money has been raised via sponsorships, with Hall Automotive the title sponsor from the beginning.
“We feel particularly honored, and humbled and blessed, that David has embraced CHKD,” Gershman said.
Born in Norfolk and raised in Chesapeake, Wright made his Major League debut in 2004. He’s a Golden Glove Award and Silver Slug Award winner, six-time National League All-Star, and member of the exclusive 30/30 club — batters who have racked up 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season.
Wright is involved in a variety of charities, many of them in New York, through his namesake foundation.
“He’s equally committed to his hometown,” Gershman said Tuesday, adding CHKD is fortunate to be his “charity of choice” in Hampton Roads.
“His family is still here. He visited the hospital today and brought two of his brothers and mother and father.”
“I think he really does consider this his real home.”
The player’s wife, Molly Wright, also reportedly accompanied him to CHKD, where the family handed out gifts. While at the hospital David Wright even posed for a photo with Nansemond-Suffolk Academy student Jackson Greene, who is battling Stage Three Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Gershman described Wright as a “nice, solid guy. I don’t think he has let fame go to his head. He’s from a really strong family.”
Appropriate attire for Vegas Night is, of course, Vegas casual. A $300 Poker Tournament ticket includes general admission plus $4,000 in poker chips and $1,000 in gaming chips. A $150 general admission ticket includes $2,000 in gaming chips, but does not include poker.
“It’s a very lively event, with lots of things going on simultaneously,” Gershman said.
“David would tell you he doesn’t like stuffy coat-and-tie kind of dinner things. He’s a young man, and he likes to let loose, dress comfortably and have some fun when he’s supporting causes.”
Tickets and sponsorship are limited. Call 668-7070 or visit www.chkd.org/davidwright.