Now for the fourth year in a row, the Derby Poker Championship Celebrity Gala will return to Louisville, Kentucky. The event is used to raise funds for Blessings in a Backpack and the Louisville branch of Susan G. Komen. The gala event is scheduled to take place on the 2nd of May 2013 and will be hosted by poker pros Robert Williamson III, Phil Hellmuth and legendary basketball coach Denny Crum.
In a statement, Hellmuth said
We support Blessings in a Backpack and Susan G. Komen Foundation and they are excellent Charities that do great work. In fact, I will get out personally and stuff backpacks with food snacks for kids that need food in a local school in Louisville on Thursday morning.
The Derby Poker Championship Celebrity Gala is a popular event as it also acts as an Official Welcome Party for the Unbridled Eve Celebrity Gala. A number of celebrities and high profile sportsmen have been a part of the event. Some of the participants have included Oscar Nunez from The Office; Vicki Gunvalson from the Real Housewives of Orange County’s has popular comedian Ron White; author Nora Roberts; ex NFL quarterback Warren Moon; pro golfer Corey Pavin; Troy Hanson, an Indy car driver and The Bachelor’s Bob Guiney.
The main foundations that the Derby Poker Championship Celebrity Gala help are Blessings in a Backpack and Susan G. Komen. Blessings in a Backpack is a special program that is run to help assist and feed children who are less fortunate on the weekends. The program operates throughout the scholastic year and operates on a large scale providing assistance for more than 50,000 children in 36 states across the country.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a foundation that was by Nancy G. Brinke on behalf of her sister Susan G. Komen. Susan had courageously battled breast cancer with everything she had and this foundation is a tribute to her spirit and memory. The foundation was started in 1982 and since then has invested more than $1.9 billion to help fight and battle breast cancer.
From the poker community, individuals such as Josh Arieh, Tiffany Michelle, Dan Shak, Antonio Esfandiari, Layne Flack and Phil Laak have all attended in the past. G. Douglas Dreisbach, Event Producer and General Manager of Southern Gaming said
This event has become a staple in the community to kick-off the Derby weekend. Guests can enjoy a great party or play poker with the pros and celebrities who are in town for the Kentucky Derby, all to benefit two great charities.
