When Rizzo Foundation Board Member, David Jones, contacted me in early June about attending the first RizKids charity event, we immediately penciled in July 21 on our calendars and signed up immediately. This was the inaugural event that Mike and Jodi Rizzo planned for their newly established Rizzo Family Foundation, and this one had two components: charity blackjack, and a barbecue for those who just wanted to eat and mingle.
We knew that even before this event that RizKids was already doing good work and had granted college scholarships to Dewayne McKinnon and Langston Speed as inaugural recipients of the Kim Rizzo Penway Scholarships with $5,000 checks. Additionally, EverybodyWinsDC was their inaugural Riz Kids Partners for Change grant recipients. That grant will help fund the literacy and mentorship program at Van Ness Elementary School. The charity was already giving away money before their first fundraising event.
With Jodi Rizzo as the chief architect of the evening, she nailed every aspect of the event, which was sold-out and raised over $125,000 for the charity. When even the losers in the charity blackjack game were smiling, you knew it was going well.
Mike Beezley, an executive at MGM National Harbor was the emcee for the evening and kept things running smooth. The six blackjack tables had chips with no monetary value — but they did have bragging rights. Most of the blackjack tables were occupied by attendees who would normally not spend a Sunday night playing cards.
Some of the Nationals biggest stars, past and present, were out to support kids in local underserved communities: Lane Thomas played at one table, Ryan Zimmerman at another, with CJ Abrams and Patrick Corbin playing next to them. All this while Gerardo Parra and his wife Tania Victoria Marin were looking on and shaking hands and talking to people. I think Corbin wishes he had not sat down at a table as he was the first person to lose his chips. Corbin took the loss with a smile.
It was an added bonus for me to see retired players like Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, and Gio Gonzalez. Also there was Heather Zimmerman, who, together with Ryan, are probably the Nationals most prolific philanthropists ever, and 106.7 The Fan sports radio host Grant Paulsen. There were politicians too, as Mark Sickles, a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates was there with friends. Armani Rogers, a tight end with the Washington Commanders, also was an attendee.
Most of the approximately 15 current Nationals players did not play in the charity blackjack tournament, but were clearly enjoying themselves watching the action, talking with attendees, and catching up with each other. The mood in the room at the Blossom Bar at the MGM complex was great and certainly enhanced as just a few hours before, the Washington Nationals had just completed a 3-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend. With a day-off today, the players could stay out a little later on this Sunday night, and enjoy themselves.
Jodi Rizzo summed it up well when she told me, “We wanted to raise money for the charity to help local kids, and to have an event to make it fun at the same time.” The Rizzo Foundation delivered on that. By the looks of it, everyone had fun — and a lot of money was raised.
The winner of the Charity Blackjack Tournament was Nationals’ Clubhouse manager, Carlos Felix. When CJ Abrams introduced him to me, he just called him by his nickname, House, and that might be because he is built like a house.
Since my wife doesn’t know much about baseball, I tried to introduce her to players like Jake Irvin who I said is the star pitcher on the team to which Irvin responded, “Thank you, but Kyle Finnegan is the real star pitcher.” Irvin was very humble, and that kind of summed up the night at this event. There was no pretentiousness in this crowd. There were some familiar faces too, and other people we met for the first time. The common bond was either as a connection to the Nationals, or they were there just to support the Rizzo Family Foundation.
Lyndon Boozer, a lobbyist at Capitol Counsel, one of the top lobbying firms in DC, Mike Rizzo, Event Co-Chair Ashley Forrester from Samsung Electronics America,
Kendra Kojcisch from Porter Novelli Public Relations,
Rizzo Foundation Board Member David Jones, founder of Capitol Counsel
The real stars of the night were Mike and Jodi Rizzo, and those who wrote huge sponsorship checks beyond the minimum. In addition to David Jones, a founding partner of the bipartisan lobbying firm Capitol Counsel, many others put a great deal of time and money into the event, including Event Co-host Ashley Forrester from Samsung Electronics America, Chris Petersen from Arbor Strategies in Richmond, Lyndon Boozer Capitol Counsel, Chris Petersen with Arbor Strategies in McLean, Bradley Beychok ABI Associates in DC and Baton Rouge, Kendra Kojcsich with PR firm Porter Novelli, Rich Cranwell with American Healthcare in Roanoke, Gerry Harrington with Capitol City Group in DC and Rhode Island, Ed Carp, Lynn Jacquez, and Donna and Mike Preston.
So yes, charity was at the heart of the event, and it delivered big. The Rizzo Family Foundation is committed to strengthening the community by making a lasting, positive impact on the lives of children and their families who are in need of educational, physical, emotional, and/or financial assistance. You can learn more about The Rizzo Family Foundation here. Follow them on social media to learn about upcoming events and how you can help.
