Casino Night Helps Greendale Athletics Hit a $12,000 Jackpot

The Greendale Panthers Athletic Booster Club's Casino Night fundraiser may have been held at Tuckaway Country Club in Franklin this year, but the interior decorations gave no sign that the nearly 116 guests were in neighboring Saber territory.

The night raised $12,000 for about 22 athletic sports teams at

A large Greendale Panthers banner decorated the front lawn and the entrance was home to a display of green, white and black balloons, decorations and sports equipment.

The new location came with a new makeover too. Although the night was still casino themed, committee member, Melissa Bychinski, added more attractions.

“It’s still casino focused, but not everyone likes to gamble so we added a band this year and also a March Madness corner with a big TV for the guys who want to come but also watch the game,” Bychinski said.

For basketball fan and parent, Todd St. Martin, this helped make his decision to come tonight easier.

“I love it,” he said.

Bychinski said the committee put in a lot more work and thinking outside the box of what they had normally done to get this type of reaction.

“We did a lot more going out for more fundraising,” Bychinki said. “We wanted to make this very robust. We had a great group of people who really went out into the community, and the community really stepped up.”

Just $20 bought 25 raffle tickets, and the prizes were all worth at least three times that amount.

Greendale resident, Sarah Colla, may have looked at the Coach purse or Pandora bracelet, but she found what she wanted in the Patrick Cudahy meat package for bacon lovers.

“I just bought a whole ton of tickets,” Colla said. “The price doesn’t matter really, we’re just donating.”

Committee member, Carolyn Hottinger, was excited to hear that sort of attitude since it’s for a good cause.

“One-hundred percent of the donations go to the booster club,” Hottinger said.

Greendale parent, Annette St. Martin, couldn’t stop smiling all night.

“I’m really impressed with how it looks,” St. Martin said. “The ladies did a nice job and there’s something for everybody this year, even a band.”

The local band, JAMIT, had many people staying in their seats a little longer after dinner. Greendale High School Principal, Steve Lodes, enjoyed having some background music.

“It attracts more people to socialize and listen,” Lodes said.

Greendale High School Athletics Director, Shane Hansen, encouraged the event but left the planning to the committee and was pleased with the results.

“It’s a fun event,” Hansen said. “They really breathed new life into it this year and there’s lots of excitement.”

Although some may argue that next year's committee will have big shoes to fill, Bychinski said she expects them to do well, have fun, and nothing less.