BIG DEAL FOR SOLDIER'S FAMILY CHARITY EXPECTS $10,000.Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer Playing cards playing cards, parts of a set or deck, used in playing various games of chance or skill. The origin of playing cards is unknown, and almost as many theories exist as there are historians of the subject. was a family pastime for Michael DiRaimondo when he was growing up in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , so it was fitting that a year after the Army flight medic's death in Iraq his family would have a charity Texas hold'em poker tournament A poker tournament is a tournament in which the winners are decided by playing poker, usually a particular style of poker. Contrast this to a ring game, where the game is ongoing with no formal structure to determine a single winner in a certain length of time. in his honor Sunday. More than 100 players attended the tournament at Paul's Italian Villa, and organizers expected to raise about $10,000 for a foundation created in DiRaimondo's memory. DiRaimondo, who was 22 when he was killed in Fallujah, Iraq, on Jan. 8, 2004, wanted to become a fire department paramedic par·a·med·ic n. A person who is trained to give emergency medical treatment or assist medical professionals. paramedic . ``He went in to the Army to be a flight medic A flight medic, is a paramedic (EMT-P), that functions in an aeromedical environment. Typically the flight medic will work with a registered nurse, physician, another paramedic, or other allied health professional like a Respiratory Therapist. ,'' said father Tony DiRaimondo, 56, of Simi Valley. ``And his idea was get training, (and) when he gets out, he would become a paramedic firefighter. And that dream did not happen.'' But with more than $130,000 raised since the foundation was created last year, the DiRaimondos will offer scholarships so that other aspiring paramedics can get the training to achieve their dreams. Dawn DiRaimondo, 29, said playing cards was a family pastime when she was growing up, so the charity poker tournament was a good event to have a year after her brother's death. ``We wanted to do something productive, sort of channel our energy into something positive,'' she said, adding that her brother was a humble man and would have been amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. to see the poker tournament. With large photos of Michael DiRaimondo on a table nearby, players competed to get to a final round, where they could win hotel packages for trips to such destinations as Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. and Hawaii. Among the players were many friends of Michael DiRaimondo, who was an avid surfer and snowboarder. Longtime friend Tyler Field, 23, said he spoke to Michael DiRaimondo when he was in Iraq. ``He said that he was happy; he knew that this was what he was meant to do,'' Field said. Several members of the Ventura County Fire Department Not to be confused with Ventura Fire Department. The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, and for six other cities within the county. also stopped by the poker tournament. Capt. Wayne Ferber said firefighters have been showing up at events held in Michael DiRaimondo's honor because he wanted to become a firefighter paramedic. Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Sister Dawn, mom Carol and sister Dani DiRaimondo play Texas hold'em to honor Michael, who was killed in Iraq. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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