In her most recent blog on her home site Ultimate Bet, poker professional Annie Duke remembers the contributions and life of Ken Bacon, the president of Refugees International, who passed away from an aggressive melanoma that spread into his brain
on August 15th.
As many may remember, Annie – a guest columnist here at Poker News Daily – played for Refugees International during her appearance on “Celebrity Apprentice” earlier this year. Through her efforts on the show, Refugees International, which assists refugee situations around the globe (much like Duke’s main charitable effort, Ante Up For Africa, focuses on refugee relief efforts in Darfur) was the receiver of the $700,000 that Annie raised through “Celebrity Apprentice” and further fundraising following her runner-up finish. In her blog on Ultimate Bet, Duke remembered the man who had a profound effect on her charitable efforts.
“This week is a sad one for me”, Annie admits in the Ultimate Bet blog before telling readers of Bacon’s passing. “I met Ken Bacon in October (2008) during the filming of “Celebrity Apprentice.” Because Ante Up for Africa was in the process of becoming a 501(c)3 while “Apprentice” was filming, I couldn’t play directly for my own charity. So I played for RI, which is aligned in its mission with the mission of AUFA. At my first meeting with Ken, I presented him with a $245K check from winning a task on Celebrity Apprentice… to say his reaction was reserved would be a drastic understatement. I was a little taken aback until I figured out the he was just an incredible sincere individual. We ended up chatting for a very long time about the issues in Sudan and Darfur and I could see the passion and real commitment to the issue that this man had.”
“Ken brought a passion to the cause that I hope to emulate”, Annie finishes in her blog post. “We should all be so lucky to have someone like Ken Bacon fighting for us and the things we believe in. I am truly lucky to have known him, if even for such a brief time. I am certainly a better person for the time I got with him.”
“Ken’s death is an enormous loss to his family, his friends, and Refugees International. All of us here will miss his leadership, his kindness, and his quiet passion”, said Joel Charny, who was named acting president of Refugees International following Bacon’s passing. “He never stopped looking for new ways to bring attention to the millions of people who have been uprooted by violence and conflict. The world’s most vulnerable people have lost one of their most tireless advocates.” Megan Fowler, the director of communications at Refugees International, commented that the members of the organization “were committed to honoring Ken’s legacy through continuing his work around the world.”
Ken Bacon was named president of Refugees International in 2001 and he was a tireless worker in the continuing battle against refugee crises. Under Mr. Bacon’s leadership, Refugees International doubled in size and grew from an organization that largely sounded the alarm on the latest refugee crisis to a program built on sustained advocacy to transform unwieldy and often ineffective international systems. During his tenure, the organization successfully advocated for increased protection and assistance for displaced people in places like Darfur and Iraq, where he focused much of his own work, as well as in Afghanistan, Burma, the DR Congo, Colombia, and Thailand. Mr. Bacon also launched new advocacy programs on peacekeeping and statelessness.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family has designated Refugees International for memorial contributions in honor of Ken Bacon. Refugees International has also created a memorial page, featuring comments and photos of Mr. Bacon’s efforts on behalf of Refugees International, in honor of the work performed by Mr. Bacon during his tenure as president of the organization. Poker News Daily wishes to pass along their condolences to Mr. Bacon’s family, friends and Refugees International at this trying time.
