St. Isidore adds Chips and Chili casino fundraiser

The St. Isidore School in Bloomingdale has added a new event to the school's annual fundraising efforts: the first Chips and Chili casino night and chili cook-off.

Chips and Chili will be 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, in the St. Isidore Parish Ministry Center, 427 W. Army Trail Road, Bloomingdale. Tickets are $35 at the door. Attendees must be 21 or older.

Guests will receive casino chips for four games, and can choose from poker, black jack, roulette, craps and bingo. Those who donate in addition to the admission fee will receive additional gaming chips, which can be exchanged for entry into prize raffles.

Contestants in the chili cook-off will vie for attendees' votes to earn a $100 first prize and bragging rights as the top St. Isidore Chili Chef. Tastes of each contestant's chili will be offered free to attendees. Beer, wine, pizza, nachos and wings also will be for sale.

School board members, parents and faculty members brainstormed for several months to develop the event they hope will augment the school's annual major fundraising efforts, school board President Jennifer McFadden said. The school already hosts a biannual Childrens' Clothing and Equipment Resale, 3-on-3 basketball tournament and its major initiative, an annual Gala/Auction Dinner Dance, which collectively raise more than $100,000 annually to support school operations.

"We rely heavily on fundraising events so that we can keep tuition in check and provide an affordable Catholic elementary school education for our local community," Principal Cyndi Collins said. "These events allow the school to provide the critical educational resources that the annual operating budget, tuition and parish subsidy cannot accommodate. We are excited about the potential of this new event, and are very pleased to be able to offer the St. Isidore School and Parish community, as well as the local community, a fun evening and opportunity to support Catholic elementary education."

For information, visit stisidoreparish.org/school/ or email chips_n_chili@saintisidoreschool.org.