A night of fun and games is approaching in Columbia County. First Command Financial Services of Evans is hosting Casino Night on Friday, March 17 to raise money for the Fort Gordon Historical Museum Society.
What began a few years ago as an appreciation event for customers of First Command, attached to a seminar, became an impromptu fundraiser last year for Fisher House, a non-profit that offers free housing to visiting families of hospitalized service members.
“We originally were putting together a golf tournament,” said Bryan Tuschen, an advisor with First Command and Chairman of the Fort Gordon Historical Museum Society (or FGHMS) Casino Night Committee. “We were unable to continue with the golf tournament, so at the last minute we put together a Casino Night for Fisher House. We were able to present them a check for $15,000 from that night.”
Bryan Tuschen and his wife FGHMS Executive Director Amy Tuschen are coordinating the evening with the help of the Sertoma Club of North Augusta, which will be running the event.
For $60 per person, or $100 with a plus-one, guests will receive $25,000 in play money to take five to seven casino tables to play blackjack, craps and roulette. Players can use their play money winnings toward raffles for other prizes.
“It’s very relaxed; it’s a learning experience,” said Amy Tuschen, assuring that those who aren’t as experienced with games of chance need not worry, as Sertoma Club dealers would see it as a teaching opportunity. “So it’s very low pressure. It’s just a good time.”
The Casino Night Committee is also seeking sponsors for the event, ranging from the bronze level at $250, to the platinum level at $2,500, as well as prize sponsors for gift baskets.
The benefit is to raise money toward providing a home for the Signal Corps and Cyber Museum in Augusta. The FGHMS has been working to fund and secure a new location for the museum since it closed at Fort Gordon in February 2021, particularly the former National Science Center building outside Gate 1, which would cost $4 million.
Amy Tuschen, both an Army brat and a veteran who served in the Signal Corps herself, is passionate about preserving its 160-year history, alongside the burgeoning history of the Army Cyber Command.
“It used to be that every soldier that came through Fort Gordon to train would go through the Signal Museum to learn about the history of this regiment that they’re joining,” she said. “But now that’s not happening because it doesn’t exist. It’s not not available for them to get their hands on it. So, we’re trying to make sure that that those stories, and that history, does not get lost.”
The Fort Gordon Historical Museum Society Casino Night will be March 17 at 4570 Dewey Drive in Evans. For more information, or to register, visit www.signalcorps.org/casinonight. For more information about the FGHMS, visit www.gordonhistoricalmuseum.org.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
