As this year’s World Series of Poker continues on its seven week trek, charitable efforts are noticed throughout the Rio. While in a few weeks the 3rd Annual “Ante Up For Africa” charity poker tournament and the Media Charity Tournament will take place, Harrah’s itself and the chip leader of the original “November Nine”, Dennis Phillips, are also showing their charitable side.
On Tuesday in Chicago, the Harrah’s Foundation – an organization founded in 2002 and funded by Harrah’s Entertainment, the owners of the WSOP – announced that they would be making a $1.1 million donation to the AARP Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons. The donation from Harrah’s will assist the AARP Foundation with the goals of their organization, which is to help current and former caregivers meet care giving responsibilities while building their own long term financial security.
“As the U.S. population ages, care giving is becoming an increasingly important component in the lives of all Americans, particularly as they approach retirement”, said Robin Talbert, the AARP Foundation’s president. “With the help of this generous gift from the Harrah’s Foundation, the AARP Foundation is in a unique position to help caregivers fulfill their responsibilities and employers create environments that support them.”
Thom Reilly, the executive director of the Harrah’s Foundation, commented, “The Harrah’s Foundation is deeply committed to senior citizens and their important issues. This relationship with the AARP Foundation allows us to extend our reach into the senior community and help them address care giving issues.” The donation will assist seniors in areas such as Mississippi, New Orleans, New Jersey, New York, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh.
Dennis Phillips, who rocketed to poker fame as the chip leader for the first ever delayed final table of the Championship Event at the WSOP, has returned to the Rio in Las Vegas to not only ply his skills once again on the felt but to also raise money for his favorite philanthropies. The Team PokerStars pro, after finishing the 2008 Championship Event as the third place player and earned over $4 million, donated a large portion of those winnings to such charitable causes as the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the Pujols Family Foundation. The St. Louis pro will continue to make donations from any winnings earned during this year’s WSOP to those organizations and has added professional poker player Phil Gordon’s charitable cause, “Bad Beat on Cancer” to the list.
Phillips has also been active in many of the charitable tournaments that have taken place so far at the WSOP. Last Thursday, Phillips took part in the inaugural “Shuffle Up For Poker Gives” charity tournament that was a part of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame weekend. He also donated ten seats to media members for the Hall’s induction ceremony dinner last Friday night. All of the proceeds from those events went to such organizations as the Intrepid Heroes Fund, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and Special Olympics.
Pending his potential return to the final table at this year’s WSOP Championship Event, Phillips will be back in St. Louis to host the All-Star Celebrity Bash charity event on July 13th. The event follows the 2009 Home Run Derby, one of the numerous activities prior to this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and will feature many celebrities, entertainers and athletes. The dinner is an invitation only event at Chef Hubert Keller’s SLeeK restaurant at Lumiere Place.
Through such charitable actions, the poker world continues to demonstrate that they are a constant force in charitable causes throughout the United States and the world.
