The local community is coming together on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 11 a.m. for a fifty-fifty eight-ball pool tournament fundraiser to benefit Kasen Davis, a two-year-old with a rare genetic disorder called mitochondrial disease and leigh syndrome.
The young boy’s family hopes to purchase a handicap-accessible van to aid them in getting Kasen to medical appointments.
The tournament will be held at Diamond Billiards located at 1242 SW Pine Island Road in Cape Coral. Entry fee for the tournament is $40 and registration will take place on-site.
Doors open at 10 a.m. for registration or anytime prior to event day at the Diamond Billiards front counter. The fundraiser will also include raffle drawings at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and a silent auction at 5 p.m.
The silent auction will feature over 50 items including those to Naples Hilton, Shula’s Steakhouse, Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Key West Express and numerous pieces of fine jewelry.
“Even if you don’t play pool- there is plenty of fun and winnings available”, said Kasen’s mother Jen Gonzalez, “We are touched by all the donations to help us care for Kasen.”
For those that can’t make the fundraiser there is a GoFundMe account set up for the purchase of the van at https://gofund.me/78c199a9.
Kasen spent the first 30 days of his life in the NICU at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami and has had many visits to the hospital since then. Kasen has several appointments to go to every week including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech/feeding therapy as well as multiple specialty doctor appointments.
“We have been fortunate enough to receive a stroller that supports Kasen’s body properly and comfortably, but the new stroller is very heavy and awkward to transport in our current vehicle, which is a Toyota Camry. Future chairs and equipment will be heavier and larger as Kasen grows. He is getting very heavy for me to carry from car seat to stroller for every appointment and or doctor visit,” said Jen Gonzalez. The wheelchair accessible van is estimated to cost $61,780.
For more information on the fundraiser, please call Jane Davis at (239) 246- 6924 or visit the event’s Facebook page.
