Community Corner

Solon Italian Club Helping Man Pay for Heart, Lung Transplant with Poker Run

All proceeds from the event will be donated to HelpHopeLive in Sal Pulito's honor to help with his uninsured transplant expenses.

Salvator Pulito was born with Pulmonary Atresia, a condition that causes a lack of blood flow to the lungs. In order to get better, Sal needs a new heart and lungs. 

He's on the transplant list, but unfortunately the surgery will be costly as it is uninsured. The Solon Italian Club has organized an Annual Benefit Poker Run with proceeds going to HelpHOPELife for Sal on Saturday July 13. 

All proceeds from this event will be donated to HelpHopeLive in Sal’s honor to help with his uninsured transplant expenses.

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“We’re really excited about this event,” said Chairman Ken Badalamenti in a prepared statement. “We’ve been talking about staging a poker run for quite a while and the opportunity to do something special for Sal seemed like a natural tie-in.”

For those unfamiliar with the concept of a poker run – it features a long motorcycle ride that includes five stops at various restaurants/taverns to randomly gather a playing card to organize a poker hand. The rider with the best poker hand at the end of the ride wins a cash prize. 

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First prize for the best hand is $750 and a consolation prize of $250 will be paid out to the person with the worst hand.

Riders will begin the ride at the Paninis Bar & Grill in Twinsburg and will end at Solon Freeway Lanes in Solon for dinner and entertainment including an after party featuring The Atomic CoyotesThere’s also a 50/50 raffle, side boards and a television raffle that will also be a part of the festivities.

Cost:

  •  $35/bike
  • Passengers are $30/person
  • Dinner only tickets $25/person

Anyone interested in riding in the event or becoming a sponsor should email SICPokerRun@gmail.com or call one of the committee members by phone: 

  • Ken Badalamenti:216-570-7111 
  • David Lunardi: 440-241-9489
  • Nick Canitano: 216-978‐54932
  • Frank Bonsignore: 440-533-5540
  • Mike Rhea: 216-337-8407
For more information, visit www.solonitalianclub.org.


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