Regional nonprofit hosts first charity poker night

AcademySTAY, which houses and supports young adults transitioning from foster care across the six-county Greater Sacramento region, will host its first charity poker night on Thursday, Oct. 1 at Creekside Pavilion at Haggin Oaks. All In for the Future opens at 5:30 p.m. and runs until 9:30 p.m., and tickets start at $75. The night includes a buffet dinner, live country music and line dancing, a silent auction and a raffle, with a Texas Hold'em tournament running alongside for guests who want a seat at the tables. No cash changes hands during play. Players receive chips on arrival, there will be buy-backs allowed for the first hour, and every prize is a donated good. Guests who'd rather watch the cards than play them can join for the full evening without a tournament seat. Proceeds support AcademySTAY's residential campus, which provides housing, one-on-one support and wraparound care for young adults ages 18 to 24 transitioning from foster care. Students come from across the region, Placer County included, and enrollment in college or trade school is a condition of residency. Housing continues year-round, including through academic breaks, when campus housing elsewhere typically closes and a young adult with no family home has nowhere to return to. Between 40 and 50 percent of young people aging out of California's foster care system face homelessness within 18 months. Roughly 200 young adults age out each year across the six counties AcademySTAY serves, which along with Sacramento include Placer, El Dorado, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba, putting 80 to 100 of them on that path annually. AcademySTAY was built to interrupt it. Since the campus opened in October 2024, the organization has served 78 young adults, and the campus has grown to 47 students. "We're recognizing that these young people have had to be resilient and resourceful. What they really need is just a little support—and they're going to be our next generation of entrepreneurs and creators," said Jenny Davidson, founder and executive director of AcademySTAY. Placer County businesses and families are welcome at the tables and in the sponsor list. Sponsorships and in-kind donations are still available, and referrals from Placer County partners, schools and social workers are accepted year-round. Tickets and event details are at academystay.org/all-in-for-the-future.