Ace Out Alpha-1!

group of teens in athletic clothes posing for a photo with Scott Santarella

Justis Frank a junior at Palmetto Senior High School in Miami, Florida organized a fundraising event to benefit the Alpha-1 Foundation. Together with his friends, Ronen Dircie, Josh Lipson, Alejandro Morales, Ethan Spiegelman, Jonah Kempler and Alex Bueno the team planned the “Ace out Alpha-1” charity poker tournament on Sunday, May 7, 2023.

In honor of Justis’ father’s friend, Donald Helms, an Alpha that received a successful lung transplant at Duke University last year, over 50 people attended the tournament filled with friendly competition, poker faces and raffle prizes. Registrants received Alpha-1 t-shirts and purple Los Reyes sunglasses. Luke Herkowitz was the big winner after 4 hours of competition. It was Justis’ first time organizing the event and he cannot wait to plan again for 2024! The event raised over $2,350 for research and related programs at the Alpha-1 Foundation.

Have a hobby? Make it a fundraiser! Everyone has something that they are good at, why not use that talent to create a fundraiser? You can put together a walk, themed dinner, bowling night or a game night. No matter what your event idea may be, the Alpha-1 Foundation is here to help you plan from start to finish.

Reach out to us to learn more: https://alpha1.org/building-friends-for-a-cure

Thank you for the generous support of our Building Friends for a Cure sponsors: AlphaNet, CSL, Grifols and Takeda.