If you enjoy playing poker or other card games, and if you recognize the value in helping deserving students attend college, then you’ll want to stop by Livingstone College on Friday for the institution’s annual Casino Night.

The event, being held at 5:30 p.m. in the college’s Events and Hospitality Center, serves as the official kickoff for Livingstone’s 2015-16 United Negro College Fund campaign.

Cost is $25 per person and $45 per couple.

“Each year we try to make our annual kickoff exciting for Livingstone faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends,” said Livingstone’s United Negro College Fund Director Deborah F. Johnson. “We have held Casino Night in the past, and everyone who attended really seemed to enjoy themselves. We’ve added a few new twists this year and really hope the public will come out to support this very worthwhile event.”

Funds raised for the United Negro College Fund help with unrestricted needs and student scholarships at Livingstone, where more than 97 percent of the student body receives some form of financial assistance, Johnson said.

“Through your generosity, last year Livingstone reached and exceeded its UNCF Campaign goal,” she said. “We’re very grateful to our sponsors for the support they continually give us.”

Sponsors include Food Lion, From Start to Finish, Industrial Supply Solutions, Inc., Noble and Kelsey Funeral Home, KMD Construction, the Salisbury Branch of the NAACP, Steinman Properties, LLC, United Beverages of N.C., LLC, Bill’s Exterminating Co., Inc., Carroll Fisher Construction Co., Dr. Dennis Wilson, Innospec Active Chemical, LLC, Piedmont Natural Gas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Karen Alexander/KKA Architecture, Earle Smith, Willie Jean Kennedy, Susan Watson, Ada Hall-Stockton, Phyllis Mahmud, Hazel Kennedy, Barbara Gaul and Levonia Corry.

“The public is invited to attend Casino Night to join us in making a difference, as well as an investment, in the lives of young men and women who may not have the necessary resources but who desire to attend college and earn a degree,” Johnson said. “Remember, ‘A mind is a terrible thing to waste but a wonderful thing to invest in.’”