Gulf Coast Diva Angels hosting Halloween Poker Run for Manatee County Special Olympics athletes

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Motorcycles, costumes and a community cause will come together Saturday as the Gulf Coast Diva Angels host a Halloween Poker Run benefiting Special Olympics Florida in Manatee County.The Oct. 31 event is open to motorcycle riders and people participating in cars. Men and women are welcome.Registration runs from 10 to 11 a.m. at JR’s Old Packinghouse Cafe, 987 S. Packinghouse Road in Sarasota. The cost is $25 per rider and $20 per passenger, with all proceeds benefiting the charity.Donna Defant, co-founder of Diva Angels, and Launita Burtley, the organization’s national director and Gulf Coast chapter director, joined ABC7 to discuss the fundraiser and the women’s motorcycle club behind it.Defant said the organization began in 2005 to bring women together through riding, with an emphasis on safety, friendship and community service.“We wanted to empower women that wanted to ride and have camaraderie with other women that like to ride,” Defant said.Each year, membe