Chili’s Grill and Bar Restaurants and the Eastern Poker Tour are co-sponsors
New England’s top professional poker player Bernard Lee on Dec. 18 donated holiday packages to more than 75 children in the Lawrence, Mass. area as part of The Full House Charity Program, which provides a minimum of $10,000 annually to organizations across New England that focus on needy children. Chili’s Grill and Bar Restaurants and Eastern Poker Tour, a regional amateur poker league, are co-sponsors.
“There are few greater joys in life than seeing children smile during the holiday season. This special celebration has become one of my family’s favorite holiday events,” said Lee, a Wayland, Mass. resident whose son and daughter will help him distribute the packages. “I created the Full House Charity Program with one goal: to help local families in need. It’s been a truly rewarding and heart-warming experience.”
Lee and his children visited the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, 73D Winthrop Avenue, Lawrence, Mass. at 5:30 p.m., where they will met with and hand out the packages to more than 30 families and their more than 75 children.
“Bernard Lee’s charity has brought hope and happiness to our groups throughout the years,” said Dr. Jeffrey S. Geller, director of Integrative Medicine and Group Programs at the health center. “It’s not just that he is giving this year, it’s his consistency and track record that has made everyone feel special and look forward to the holidays here at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center Wellness Groups.”
Each family received gift certificates that will cover the cost of a family meal at Chili’s. Every child received a holiday package that includes winter clothing, books, Sports Illustrated for Kids magazines, board games, sports balls and toys. Many of the toys and games were donated by the Eastern Poker Tour and RunGoodGear poker pros. Lee received and honored specific requests from every child.
Lee’s charity program, launched in February 2011, provides a minimum of $10,000 worth of goods and fundraising annually to children-focused organizations in the New England area.
“We are thrilled to partner with Bernard, a long-time member of the EPT family as both a player and commentator for such a great cause,” Eastern Poker Tour President Glenn McCrory said. “This is our second year in a row that, together, we have been able to make such a positive impact on families. It is astonishing, that some cannot afford something that we all take for granted, a ball or a toy as a present, and with the help of our players we are glad to help that cause.”
Chili’s is very involved with community giving and partners with non-profits on Give Back Nights, when Chili’s shares 10 percent of the evening’s proceeds to the organization.
“Joining Bernard in his efforts is a way for us to help make the holidays enjoyable for families in Lawrence. This is our third season, and Chili’s appreciates the opportunity to spread some holiday cheer at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center,” said Patrick McClelland, area director of Chili’s-Pepper Dining Inc.
Lee has won more than $2 million and five titles on the tournament circuit. He was last year named to RunGoodGear’s team and won its inaugural main event in March at Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Oklahoma.
The Harvard University and Babson College graduate worked as a senior marketing/new business development manager at a Massachusetts Fortune 500 company before finishing 13th — New England’s top finisher — in the 2005 World Series of Poker. Recognized as “the voice of poker in New England” by Cardplayer.com, Lee is known worldwide as a poker media personality.
The Bernard Lee Poker Show is simulcast on Rounders Radio, www.roundersradio.com, one of the largest online poker talk radio station in the world with listeners in more than 85 countries. Finally, the show is also available via podcast on iTunes.
The show incorporates interviews with poker players and prominent industry personnel with poker news and tips as well. Previous guests have included WSOP champions Doyle Brunson, Greg Merson, Ryan Riess, Jonathan Duhamel, Joseph Hachem, Greg Raymer, Peter Eastgate, Joe Cada, Phil Hellmuth and the 2014 champion, Martin Jacobson; WPT commentator Mike Sexton; ESPN commentators Norman Chad and Lon McEachern; poker superstars Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Dennis Phillips, and Jason Mercier; and members of the 2008 through 2014 WSOP November Nine.
A poker writer for ESPN.com, Card Player and All-In magazines, Lee was recently the lead commentator for the WSOP Circuit livestream, which was seen on ESPN3.com and WSOP.com. His two books, The Final Table, Volume I and Volume II, are compilations of the Sunday Boston Herald poker columns he penned for seven years. Lee is also a poker instructor and commentator for the WSOP and New England’s Eastern Poker Tour. Lee is a former co-host of ESPN.com’s weekly online poker show, “ESPN Inside Deal.”
Learn more about Lee on www.bernardleepoker.com or follow him on Twitter, @BernardLeePoker.
ABOUT GREATER LAWRENCE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER: The mission of the GLFHC is to improve and maintain the health of individuals and families in the Merrimack Valley by providing a network of high quality, comprehensive health care services and by training health care professionals to respond to the needs of a culturally diverse population. www.glfhc.org
ABOUT THE EASTERN POKER TOUR: The Easter Poker Tour, which awards more than $2,000,000 in prizes annually, is the county’s most rewarding bar poker league. EPT runs over 70 weekly tournaments throughout bars and restaurants throughout New England. More than 35,000 players have competed for great nightly prizes, massive seasonal prizes, seats into the WSOP, and also seats into a bar league National Championships, the Bar Poker Open. www.easternpokertour.com, www.barpokeropen.com
ABOUT CHILI’S-PEPPER DINING INC.: Pepper Dining is a leading franchisee of Chili’s, operating more than 90 restaurants throughout New England; northern New York; Virginia Beach, VA and Charlotte, NC.
