A video posted on YouTube last Sunday announcing that the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will be receiving $100k in 7days. This bold and altruistic move was made by the 29 year old Canadian poker professional, Daniel Negreanu. Posting a video entitled “$100k in 7days! Let’s do this!” the poker star urged friends and all other people to help out the children suffering from serious medical conditions at the hospital. Donations up to $50,000 were to be matched by Kid Poker and after just three days, nearly half of that was obtained already.
It is a noble act of the four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and two-time World Poker tour champion. Negreanu also said in the video that he will give poker lessons in Las Vegas plus dinner to four generous people who will donate $2,500 or more.
When speaking about St. Jude, Daniel said,
You can do some research on the Internet. You’ll find that St. Jude is top shelf when it comes to charitable organization to donate to. They’d never, ever, turn a child away.
Negreanu has Romanian blood yet was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1974. At 22, he left for Las Vegas to pursue his ambition of becoming a professional poker player but his luck was low and he had to rebuild his bankroll from scratch when he lost it all on “the Strip.”
After rebuilding himself, he focused on his career and build a solid reputation in the poker business. He is also a big fan of the National Hockey League and even thought of declining to play in the Poker after Dark series because the tournament was in the middle of hockey season.
Daniel can be seen wearing the NHL jersey of one of his favourite hockey teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This charitable step is not the first time Negreanu has done this. He has a history of philanthropy, having founded the annual “Big Swing” golf event. This is for the Lili Claire Foundation which is a Las Vegas charity that helps children born with special needs and their families. He also frequently joins charity events such as “Ante for Africa,” which raises funds for Darfur.
Among the poker players who have helped and donated money are Haralabos Voulgaris, Phil Ivey, Brian Lemke and Tommy Vedes amongst many others and has so far raised $48,548.73. Having influential friend’s always helps, as it speeds up the donation process and can all but ensure a successful outcome for the fundraiser.
Daniel Negreanu has nearly a quarter of a million Twitter followers giving him a huge influence. Fortunately, he uses this influence to help out people in need. Thankfully, there are people like him who take interest in reaching out to those who are in dire straights both financially and otherwise. After all these negative stories in the media, knowing that there is somebody who stands up to help other makes you think there is still some good in this world.
