The Heights Foundation/The Heights Center will host Run The River: Poker, Powerboats, Pirates and Plunder on Saturday, October 3.  Participants will weigh anchor and navigate a charted course, stopping at five locations to pick up a playing card. Locations include: Gather Restaurant, Rumrunners Restaurant, the 121-foot M/Y DRILLER, owned by Tim and Sandy Youngquist and the 102-foot M/Y TÒ-KALÒN, owned by Dave and Cheryl Copham. The event will end at St. Charles Yacht Club (SCYC) where participants will enjoy food and cocktails and find out who has the best poker hand.  The first place winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize.   Additional prizes will be awarded second and third place, best decorated pirate vessel, best individual pirate and best pirate crew and worst poker hand. The entry fee is $1,000 per vessel including captain and 3 crew.  Additional crew are $200 each and kids under 12 are free. A mandatory captain’s meeting will be held at SCYC on Friday, October 2 from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. The event will support programs at The Heights Foundation/The Heights Center.  “The families in Harlem Heights are vulnerable, especially now,” said Kathryn Kelly, president and CEO of The Heights Foundation/The Heights Center.  “This event will provide much-needed funds to support our families so they can keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.” SCYC is the premier yacht club and marina in Fort Myers and is located on the Caloosahatchee River, at approximately mile marker 146 of the Okeechobee Waterway. The Heights Foundation works to build self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood.  The mission is to support education and wellness, promote family and community development, and provide the benefits of enrichment and the arts. For more information visit www.heightsfoundation.org/pokerrun or contact Karen at (239) 482-7706 or karen@heightsfoundation.org About the Heights Foundation and the Heights Center The Heights Foundation works to build self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood.  The mission is to support education and wellness, promote family and community development, and provide the benefits of enrichment and the arts.  The Heights Center, supported by The Heights Foundation, is a place for Education, Opportunity, and Enrichment.   GLAD Kids is a child care and pre-k center serving 90 children birth-five.  The Harlem Heights Community Charter School currently serves kindergarten through fifth grade. Harlem Heights was originally settled as a rural agricultural community.   Approximately 780 children live in a mixture of single-family homes and multi-family apartments. Demographically, the population is approximately 70% Hispanic, 20% African-American, and 8% Caucasian. The poverty rate for children in Harlem Heights is more than twice the county average, with family income 40% below the county average. Families are not able to easily access family support services located in downtown Fort Myers, and benefit greatly from programs located within the neighborhood.