On April 24, 128 players will compete in Habitat for Humanity of Smith County’s Monopoly tournament at First Christian Church in Tyler for cash prizes and trophies to fundraise for the nonprofit.

The Habitat for Humanity of Smith County will be using a popular board game as a fundraiser later this month to benefit the nonprofit’s programs.

On April 24, 128 players will compete in a Monopoly tournament at First Christian Church in Tyler for cash prizes and trophies to determine the best player in East Texas.

Rebecca Berkley, director of development for Habitat for Humanity of Smith County, said the objectives of Monopoly fits with Habitat well.

“We received permission from Hasbro to have an official Monopoly tournament and are so excited to bring a new event to East Texas,” she said. “Monopoly is all about buying and selling property and building houses and we thought this would be a fun “fundraiser” for Habitat to hold. Plus, we know that a lot of people have been playing board games during the pandemic, so this is a chance to show off your skills.”

Children ages 10 and up can participate as long as they can play without assistance. The first round will begin at 9 a.m. and the games will last about an hour. A winner from each table of four will move on to the next round until the final four is set, Berkley said.

Registration is $25, and people must sign up before the event at smithcountyhabitat.org/monopoly.

“We also want our players and attendees to know that because you will be playing with others, we are socially distancing the game tables in the church lobby and all players will be required to wear a mask during tournament play and sanitize their hands before they handle the game pieces,” Berkley said.

There will also be a silent auction in the church lobby with donated items from local businesses. Habitat is also selling the World’s Finest Chocolate bars as a fundraiser and the bars will be for sale at the tournament.

“We hope people will come out to play and all proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity of Smith County’s programs in East Texas,” said Jack Wilson, CEO Habitat for Humanity of Smith County.