Chili’s Grill and Bar Restaurants and the Eastern Poker Tour are co-sponsors
New England’s top professional poker player and media personality Bernard Lee on Dec. 23 donated holiday packages to over 50 children in the Milford, Mass. area as part of The Full House Charity Program, which has provided a minimum of $10,000 worth of goods annually for the past five years 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.
“I’m thrilled to bring the Full House Charity Program to a new location this year. My family and I were excited to meet new families and help them celebrate the holiday season,” said Lee, a Wayland, Mass. resident whose son and daughter will help him distribute the packages. “It gives me great joy to see the children smile when we hand them their packages. I’m so grateful my good fortune in the poker world allows me to give back to the community.”
Lee and his children met with Milford Youth Center families and handed out packages at 5 p.m. at the Marchegiano Club, 60 Meade St., Milford.
“We are excited Bernard could join us at the Milford Youth Center to celebrate the holiday season with some of our families. It is heartwarming to watch giving in action, and to know the children we serve each day are benefitting from the generosity of others,” said Sidney De Jesus, the center director.
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, art supplies, stuffed animals 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.
“This is the third year in a row that the Eastern Poker Tour has partnered with Bernard to make a positive impact on the lives of families,” EPT President Glenn McCrory said. “Bernard is a long-time member of the EPT family as both a player and commentator, so it was natural for us to join him for such a great cause. We were also floored by our players generosity and excitement to help out a great local 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.
“Chili’s appreciates the opportunity to spread holiday cheer at the Milford Youth Center,” said Patrick McClelland, area director of Chili’s. “We look forward to this event each year knowing that we are helping make the holidays more enjoyable for families in Milford.”
Lee has won more than $2 million and six titles on the tournament circuit. Earlier this year he joined the Blue Shark Optics Pro Team. Lee also is spokesman for specialty travel company Blaycation, and a RunGoodGear.com pro and a member of its World Series of Poker (WSOP) team.
A Harvard University and Babson College graduate, Lee 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 WSOP. 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 2015 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 THE MILFORD YOUTH CENTER: The Milford Youth Center has become the focal point for the children of Milford. The youth of Milford have come to depend on the Youth Center to provide them with the necessary activities and events that help them develop physically, mentally, socially and emotionally through their childhood years. http://milfordyouthcenter.net/
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. http://www.easternpokertour.com/, http://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.
