Posted on 11/08/2012 6:32:29 AM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
My poker league is having a charity tournament on Saturday where the first prize is $1000 for the winner plus a minimum $1000 donation to the winner's charity of choice. It can be any charity as long as it's 501(3)(c). You have to declare the charity when you register. Right now I'm thinking either the NRA or GOA but I'm open to suggestions because I'm really not that fond of the NRA and if I do donate I know they will bombard me nonstop with more requests for the rest of my life. The Salvation Army might not be a bad choice because they keep their overhead low and don't pay their leader some outrageous salary. No way I'd waste $1000 on Susan Komen, they would just give it to Planned Parenthood. Any ideas?
Also, if you happen to live in Georgia or reasonable driving distance from the Atlanta area and consider yourself a good poker player I can send you the info. It's free to play and you can sign up for the league the day of the tourney. If you're a pro or semipro level I'd even put you up for the night in exchange for some tips :-)
2nd place is an Apple Ipad, 3-10th get smaller prizes, probably along the lines of house cash. The only cash you would have to spend would be for chipups and those are optional. You can PM me if you'd like more details.
I intend to win this tourney but if my luck doesn't hold up I wouldn't mind seeing another FReeper take the prize. After the last couple of days we could use a diversion.
This Saturday as in Saturday, Nov. 10, in case anyone happens to read this next week.
Our charities of choice are
Brookwood Community (http://brookwoodcommunity.org/
St Judes Childen’s research Hospital
http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f87d4c2a71fca210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD
Our Ghost peppers are doing great! Thanks
The Sierra Club (kidding)
I don’t know how to play and don’t live in the area, but for a charity, perhaps a local crisis pregnancy center or National Right To Life. If you are an animal lover, you could donate to an animal rescue. Animal rescues always need money as they have medical and food expenses.
I’m sure you’ll pick a good charity, and I wish you the best of luck.
How about a local food bank? They don’t usually have a big mailing/pestering program. You could contact a church in Hurricane Sandy territory and donate the money to their food bank. It would go straight to real people, and eliminate the middle man.
Also, maybe a local club for kids. Little League, US Youth Volleyball League, a children’s orchestra or chorus or theater program, or my favorite: a First LEGO League Robotics Team. All of those need money but don’t bother people afterwards.
wounded warrior
You can’t go wrong with the Salvation Army and they will not harrass you for more money, at least they never have when I’ve given them money. Please do not chose the red cross and you are right about Komen.
The Red Cross and anything to do with United Way are no-no's because of the outrageous salaries they pay to their mostly figurehead leaders. St. Judes and Wounded Warrior are great suggestions I didn't even think of before. I think I'll have a good list pretty soon. My wife is also playing so we can pick the best 2.
I think the Salvation Army is the best choice. My local SA store has a residential program and all the guys who work through the program work at the retail store gaining real life job skills. I have seen several of them work their way up to management.
Something for the vets should please everyone. Maybe Wounded Warriors or USA Cares?
I would recommend the Rotary Foundation (www.rotary.org).
They have worked (organized and led)for the last 27 years to eliminate Polio as a gift to the children of the world. I believe that there are now less than 100 cases reported in 2012. Afganistan and Pakistan have no new cases this year. We are almost there, yet will take a dedicated effort to finish.
This will save $1 billion a year in health care costs and would save millions of children from getting polio in the future.
Rotarians have gotten support from members, Bill Gates Foundation, governments and have stopped wars temporily to distribute oral polio vaccines.
The effort is worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Last Christmas my husband and i donated to Wounded Warrior and Fisher House instead of buying each other “stuff” we didn’t need. Wounded Warrior sends us mail at least 3x a week and frankly it’s getting annoying. I did some research and saw that Fisher House is one of the best charities to give to.
Operation Smile.
They pay for operations for children born with cleft palates. That is my favorite place to give.
As a followup: the tournament had 193 entrants. I chose Fisher House as my charity and my wife chose the Shriners. Neither one of us won but we both made the final table. I finished 10th and won a $25 Outback Steakhouse gift card. My wife finished 9th and received a Pandora charm bracelet. The first and 2nd place finishers chopped the pot 70/30 based on the chips they had then they played one hand to see who got to have the donation. They guy who got less money in the chop won the donation hand and chose Wounded Warriors as the recipient.
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