With roughly 20 boats registered so far, the Lake Murray Poker Run For Children’s Chance June 23-24 has a way to go before the eighth annual South Carolina event draws the 70-plus-boat fleet it attracted last year. But Stephanie Amaker, the executive director of Children’s Chance— a nonprofit South Caroliina-based organization that provides financial support to the families of patients diagnosed with pediatric cancer and raises awareness about the disease—and the lead organizer for the event is confident that the turnout will be strong.

South Carolina performance-boat enthusiasts can enjoy time on and off the water while raising money for a worthy cause during the Lake Murray Poker Run weekend. Photo courtesy/copyright David “Swede” Andrews/Performance Images Photography.

“The Hartwell Lake event is on the same weekend,” said Amaker, who is in her fourth year running the event and her fifth year as executive director of the 21-year-old charity. “But everybody always waits to the last minute to register and we already have a lot of new boats entered. So far, I’d say registration is steady but we’re still looking to build it.”

Children’s Chance has been the event’s benefitting charity for the past four years.

“We do several big events a year for Children’s Chance and this is one of the bigger ones,” said Amaker. “It takes 35 volunteers and several months of background work. But the registration fee includes a lot in addition to the poker hand. The participants get three meals during the weekend, and at Saturday night’s dinner there’s a prime rib carving station, fried shrimp, a mahi-mahi station and more. We want to say thank you and show them how much we appreciate what they are giving back to the association.”

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