Chris and his friends visited Tanzania and St Jude鈥檚 in January 2020, just before COVID-19 turned the world upside-down. 鈥淲e met the teachers, students and some of the families and it highlighted how important the school was in changing the lives of many, as well as for the future of Tanzania,鈥� he says.
Chris, Jayson and Dan came up with a unique idea. 鈥淥ne of the guys is a part owner of a local brewery and we all liked playing poker so we thought it would be great to combine the two 鈥� a poker tournament in a brewery,鈥� Chris remembers. So far, Chris and his friends have held two poker fundraisers. A portion of each player鈥檚 entry fee is a donation to St Jude鈥檚 and on the day of the tournament there鈥檚 an auction to raise further funds for St Jude鈥檚.
鈥淲e have approximately 40 players who progress through a series of rounds to a final table,鈥� Chris explains. 鈥淲e sent the message around to all of our friends and from there word of mouth has spread.鈥�
The tournaments have been a huge success, both in terms of fundraising and spreading the word about St Jude鈥檚. 鈥淏efore we start the tournament we always explain to everyone our experience at St Jude鈥檚 and why we are doing this鈥� Everyone has been really supportive and many have dug deep in their pockets to donate more. It鈥檚 great to see,鈥� Chris says.
To date, the friends have donated over AU $5000 to the school following their poker tournaments.
We鈥檙e so grateful for the way Chris and his friends have used their creativity to help St Jude鈥檚 and excited to hear that they鈥檙e planning another fundraising tournament for February 2022.
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