Congratulations to Michael Barbe for winning the whole thing, and the rest of the TOP 10: Dave Daily, Scott Miller, Sheryl Nurenberg, Max Freedman, Steven Braunstein, Eric Lussier, Phillip Ramati, Lily Schwartz and Adam Zell. Courtesy: HFLA

By Arielle Levy

Hebrew Free Loan of Austin successfully hosted its 5th annual Joe Krassner Memorial Poker Tournament, raising awareness and almost $30,000 from over 70 participants and sponsors. The annual event is a win-win with great prizes going to the top ten finishers and HFLA getting the opportunity to reassert its goals. Event co-chair Gary Solka said it best during the event, “HFLA‘s mission and model of recycling donated funds, after loans are paid back, helps recipients by giving them a hand up rather than a hand out.”

HFLA is committed to investing in the Austin community from the inside out, aiming to provide funds to those in need, while hoping to positively impact the recipient’s life for the long run.

Hosted at Temple Beth Shalom on Sunday, February 26, the event began with a schmoozing and networking hour with plenty of pizza, hors d’oeuvres and a variety of beverages for everyone to enjoy. To launch the official program and prior to an intense, but still playful, afternoon of no-limit Texas Hold ‘em, attendees had the pleasure of hearing from an HFLA recipient, Jacqui Pruet.

Pruet, a mom and active community member, found herself in tough times and initially resisted applying for a loan. When she finally came to terms with the idea that an interest-free loan was a good option, she applied for a loan and immediately got her family out of an unsafe situation. She said herself, HFLA loans allow recipients to “live a life of dignity…and [she] will be forever grateful to HFLA.” Underscoring those sentiments, Pruet made a donation to HFLA and played in this year’s tournament – another example of HFLA’s recycling efforts.

New board member, Dana Epstein, reflected on her first experience attending the poker tournament. “The speaker just blew everyone away, and at that moment, I knew that spending time on this board was really going to be a life-changing and meaningful experience. It was exciting to see so many people out to support this incredible organization,” said Epstein.

Poker tournament participants ranged from first-time players, to skilled amateurs, to players who compete for the top ten spots year after year. “The community energy and enthusiasm in the room is always a highlight,” said co-chair Scott Miller, reflecting on his time leading this event for the past few years.

First place went to Mike Barbe who chose the Las Vegas package for his grand prize with Dave Daily taking silver and selecting the hefty electronics package. Scott Miller, Sheryl Nurenberg, Max Freedman, Steven Braunstein, Eric Luss, Phillip Ramati, Lily Schwartz and Adam Zell all went home with winning prizes that they got to choose from as the remaining top ten finishers.

HFLA of Austin surpassed $1 million in loan distributions within a week of the tournament, and with committed leadership and donors continuing to grow the funds, this is only the beginning.

The namesake of this tournament, Joe Krassner, had a dream to build a strong community dedicated to strengthening Jewish life and caring for people in need in and around the Austin area. The HFLA of Austin leadership expresses their appreciation to all of the sponsors, donors, participants, and watchers who make this dream a reality every day. Support of HFLA carries on Joe’s vision by making Jewish life in Austin even stronger.