Poker for a good cause? You bet

This Wednesday will present a unique opportunity to play poker and help the community at the same time.

On Sept. 5 the 7 Luck Hilton casino will hold a charity poker night with all proceeds going to Chechon Children`s Home in Jecheon, Chungcheonbuk-do.

Tae Kim, head pit boss in charge of the poker room and former Torontonian, helped organize the charity night, but credited the idea to Travis Beck, who introduced him to Chechon Children`s Home.

Kim said the casino is dedicated to giving back to the community through volunteer work and donations. He described a culture of charity among successful poker players.

"It`s common amongst famous poker players who win tournaments to give a certain percentage to the charity they support. Barry Greenstien has given millions to charity (and) is known as the Robin Hood of Poker."



He said he expects up to 60 people to participate and is hoping to hand the orphanage a check for 5 million won.

Kim said the tournament is open to all players, serious or just for fun. Referring to beginners, Kim said the 7 Luck Tournament For Kids would be a good place to meet people.

But he said the tournament will also see a lot of experienced players. And for them, it`s a chance to help out the community (presumably after winning so much money).

But if you`re a pretty serious poker player, he said, "poker has been good to a lot of us ... and this is one way we can give back to the community."

Jane White, the founder of Chechon Children`s Home echoed his sentiment.

"Although we do get government money, anything extra goes toward programs that will make the quality of life better for the kids," said the Wisconsin native, who has been living in Korea for over four decades.

She said they run a lot of programs for the kids, and they cost quite a bit of money. "We do a lot of programs for our older kids because they are going to have to go out and live in society. We have a lot of seminars to bring people in and we always need to pay for programs."

Most of their funding comes from the government, but some comes from missionary funds and Korean sponsors.

The orphanage is currently home to 92 kids, ranging in age from a 1-year-old and up. There is a paid staff of 30, including caregivers and administrators.

White came to Korea in 1962, almost a decade after the Korean War came to a halt in 1953.

She first worked in an orphanage her friends had set up in 1959, but it was for older children and she said she wanted to work with the youngest kind of clientele.

"I came to work in that, but it was for big boys and I`ve always loved babies and wanted to work with babies. I heard of a need for an orphanage in Jecheon," she explained.

She moved to Jecheon and lived with friends for a few months until she started the Chechon Children`s Home.

"My first child was in February 1963.

"I think we`re on 1,225 now. Most have been small babies, then we worked with an adoption agency and adopted children to the United States, but then that was stopped by the Korean government."

To say White has a unique perspective on Korean society would be an understatement. As one of the longest living foreign-born residents in the country, she has lived through the same dictatorships and witnessed the same economic development that most Koreans have.

The 47-year Korean resident explained that when she first arrived, there wasn`t much in the way of social work, so she and her evangelical colleagues "just did the best we could."

"And now there is a lot of help - and even Koreans are adopting children now. There aren`t as many orphans, single mothers having babies and not as many abandoned as there used to be."

The 7 Luck Tournament For Kids starts at 1 p.m. on Sept. 5. The cost is 100,000 won, plus a 20,000 won buy-in.





See www.cchkorea.org for more information on Chechon Children`s Home and go to www.7luckpoker.com for information on the 7 Luck Tournament For Kids. - Ed.

(mattlamers@heraldm.com)



By Matthew Lamers