WPT Playing for a Better World™ series to launch at The Bazaar by José Andrés and SLS Hotel Beverly Hills
World Poker Tour (WPT), the premier name in internationally televised poker and entertainment, has announced the launch of WPT Foundation, an organization dedicated to utilizing WPT’s unmatched platform to influence positive change in the world. WPT Foundation will initially support nonprofit programs in the areas of environment, human rights, hunger, and poverty and today announces its world-class charitable partners as Conservation International, Enough Project, We Advance and World Central Kitchen. Beyond contributing extensive cast, brand, media and corporate resources, WPT has committed an additional $100,000 cash donation to the WPT Foundation.
The core of WPT Foundation’s fundraising will be a series of philanthropic poker events called WPT Playing for a Better World. The kickoff event will take place at SLS Hotel Beverly Hills and the adjoining Bazaar by José Andrés restaurant on March 11, 2012 (WPT Foundation Launch Party: Playing for a Better World At The Bazaar José Andrés and SLS Hotel Beverly Hills). This exclusive inaugural affair will bring together A-list celebrities, Hollywood power brokers and some of the biggest names in poker as they help raise money and create awareness for WPT Foundation’s global charity partners. Providing the menu and food for the occasion will be world-renowned chef José Andrés, who recently won the coveted James Beard Outstanding Chef Award for 2011.
The celebrity host committee includes Maria Bello, Gerard Butler, Don Cheadle, Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Eva Longoria, Joel Madden and Nicole Richie, Jeremy Piven, Andrea Savage, Rob Riggle, Sophie Winkleman, Frederick Windsor, Robin Wright and many others soon to be announced. The hosts and other attendees will get to test their poker skills against and win poker lessons from the world’s greatest players including Mike Sexton, Daniel Negreanu, Dan Harrington, Antonio Esfandiari, Vanessa Selbst, Tony G., Jamie Gold, Maria Ho, Tony Dunst, Andy Frankenberger and other famous professionals.
The star-studded evening will feature a set of training sessions from poker greats, followed by a round-robin style poker event, a raffle and auction with one-of-a-kind and exclusive items such as private poker lessons from the game’s legends, a private tasting party from Casa Dragones, an in-home session of WPT Boot Camp, a cabin on a WPT cruise, a deluxe helicopter tour of Los Angeles for three provided by ROTOR F/X LLC, the chance to join Fox Sports film crew at an NFL game, and much, much more.
While the event will be entertaining, WPT Playing for a Better World is about the long-term effort WPT Foundation is bringing to the global philanthropic community.
“World Poker Tour has always been dedicated to supporting charitable causes, but by establishing WPT Foundation we are making a deep, lasting commitment to philanthropy the likes of which the poker world has not seen before,” said Steve Heller, WPT CEO.
“With poker as a platform for an ongoing program and the support of celebrities, our poker player family and fantastic global charities, we’re confident the world will be shown how WPT and the poker community can be an engine for important change in the world, and we’re pleased to fuel that engine with an initial $100,000 donation. The launch event of WPT Playing for a Better World at the beautiful SLS Hotel will be a night to remember and the first of many such WPT Foundation events to come.”
Tickets for the launch event of WPT Playing for a Better World are $500 each, with raffle tickets beginning at $100. To purchase tickets for the event, please visit WPTFoundation.org. To request media credentials to cover this event, please contact Andy Gelb or Stephanie Samson of Slate PR at (310) 461-0111 or [email protected] / [email protected].
Space is extremely limited. Pre-registration is recommended.
ABOUT WORLD POKER TOUR
World Poker Tour is the global leader and innovator in internationally televised gaming and entertainment. In 2002, WPT ignited the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments. WPT has staged more than 160 live tournaments around the world and awarded more than $500 million in prize money. WPT is currently broadcasting its historic tenth season in the U.S. on Fox Sports Net. World Poker Tour has produced more than 200 hours of poker programming and has aired globally on leading television networks in more than 150 countries and territories. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a subsidiary of bwin.party digital entertainment plc. For more information, go to WorldPokerTour.com.
ABOUT CAPIAN ENTERPRISES
The WPT Playing for a Better World series is a project of Capian Enterprises, a cause brand marketing company led by CEO Kate Moulene. Capian Enterprises has created over 2 billion media impressions and has raised more than $20 million for charity. In addition to organizing the Global Creative Forum in support of the United Nations, Capian has organized events and campaigns with participation from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, President Bill Clinton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., Kiefer Sutherland, Anne Hathaway, and dozens of other celebrities and corporate partners. For information on the WPT Foundation or WPT Foundation events and corporate partnerships, please contact Capian Enteprises at (818) 288-5283 or visit capianenterprises.com.
ABOUT CHARITY BENEFICIARIES
CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
People depend on nature for many things: a stable climate, clean air, fresh water, fertile soil, medicines, abundant food, cultural resources and so much more. Conservation International (CI), which marks its 25th anniversary in 2012, works to ensure a healthy and productive planet for us all, empowering societies to responsibly, and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of people. Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder Peter Seligmann and President Dr. Russell Mittermeier are leading the organization’s global mission to innovate sustainable solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time, including constrained resources and growing demands, the loss of species, fresh water and tropical forests, and the degradation of ecosystems that provide critical services to people. The organization’s Chief Ocean Scientist, Dr. Gregory Stone, is spearheading landmark global initiatives such as a new Ocean Health Index to track and communicate the ocean’s services and ensure that its ability to support people is protected for generations to come. For more information, please visit: www.conservation.org.
ENOUGH PROJECT
Enough, co–founded by human rights activist John Prendergast, fights to end genocide and crimes against humanity by focusing on areas where some of the world’s worst atrocities occur. We get the facts on the ground, use rigorous analysis to determine the most sustainable solutions, influence political leaders to adopt our proposals, and mobilize the American public to demand change. Through these efforts, Enough is building a permanent constituency committed to ending genocide—once and for all—by sharing sensible tools that help citizens, organizations, and policy makers address some of the most pressing moral challenges of our time.
WE ADVANCE
Co-founded by activist and actor, Maria Bello, We Advance is a movement to advance the health, safety, and wellbeing of women and communities throughout Haiti. We Advance works in some of the poorest regions of the western hemisphere where security issues deter the work of other organizations. A key model in inclusive grassroots approach to world change We Advance collaborates with other organizations and women from every socio-economic class to construct change and models and opportunity of cooperative engagement that can be utilized on a worldwide scale.
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
World Central Kitchen led by internationally-recognized culinary innovator Chef José Andrés is committed to ending hunger by giving research, creativity and innovation a prominent role in addressing its root causes. From promoting clean cooking stoves to finding localized ways to empower farmers and develop business models that promote economic stability for local communities the World Central Kitchen is working community by community to create long term solutions to end hunger worldwide.
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