SECAUCUS - The Guma Foundation walked away from its annual casino night fundraiser last week with more than $15,000, and didn't even have to gamble.

The foundation's members simply relied on the charity and goodwill of others.

"This year was the first time we had to close registration on the day of the event because we couldn't fit any more people," said Richard Guma, who runs the Guma Foundation with his mother Pat and brother Mike. "We exceeded expectations and then some."

Overall, he said the organization set new records in money raised and attendance at this year's casino night, held Saturday at La Reggia Restaurant at the Meadowlands Plaza Hotel in Secaucus.

A nonprofit that focuses on helping children with life threatening illnesses, the Guma Foundation each year donates donate $10,000 to the Tomorrows Children's Fund at Hackensack University Medical Center to help children with cancer and other serious blood disorders. It also makes individual donations to families with sick children throughout the year.

The organization was created in honor of Guma's father Ralph, a Secaucus school teacher who died of a heart complication in 1991, and his youngest brother Ralph Jr., who died from the effects of radiation treatment at the age of 23 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 9. 

Guma said this year more than 200 people came to the casino night event, and many were complete strangers, which he attributed to recent coverage by The Jersey Journal.

"When we held this event in the past we saw mainly family and friends which is great," said Richard. "But this year so many people who we didn't even know saw the article in the newspaper and decided to come out which is such a great feeling."

He said it's touching that so many people want to champion the cause of the Guma Foundation.

"When we look to honor the memory of our father and brother, we know that a lot of people didn't know them personally," Guma said. "But the common denominator is that all families go through some trouble." 

"So if somebody comes who we don't know and wants to support the organization we know the one common denominator we share is that we both understand what it's like to have a sick family member and they would want the same thing if something like that happened to their family," he added.

Those who attended the casino night were treated to a night of casino-style gambling and live music by Mike Guma's college band "The Fez." Chips were substituted with raffle tickets, and at the end of the night raffle winners were treated to a variety of prizes including Yankees, Giants, Red Bulls, and Devils tickets, a 40-inch flat screen TV, an iPad, and even a one week trip to Las Vegas.

Guma said when the numbers are all tallied up, they expect to have raised somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000-- $10,000 of which will be part of the organization's annual donation to the Tomorrows Children's Fund. Richard said the remainder will be used to either upgrade "Ralphy's Room," a family room in the pediatric care facility at HUMC named after Ralph Guma Jr., or be donated to families in need. 

With the great success of this year's fundraiser, Guma said his family now looks to grow its organization even more.

"After a successful night like this one, we will reevaluate our goals and keep getting bigger," he said. "It will be more work for us, but it is definitely worth it."

For more information about the Guma Foundation, visit their website at www.gumafoundationinc.org.

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