It’s a cliché of the Internet age — dotcom millionaire makes it big then retires young to pursue a life of leisure. Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst were two successful young entrepreneurs who used their success to pursue something a little different.
They met in 1993 at the Garden City public card room in San Jose, California, and quickly realized they had a lot in common — degrees in computer science, a passion for poker and an entrepreneurial spirit. Soon they would learn that they shared something else in common — both had family members who lost their lives to cancer.
In 2003 the Ultimate Sports Adventure hit the road. Phil and Rafe motored to every major sporting event between the 2003 and 2004 Super Bowls — the U.S. Open, the World Series and Kentucky Derby, to name a few. They were serious about their fun, to be sure, but they were also committed to raising money for a charity close to their hearts. At each venue, they passed a hat at tailgate parties, auctioned off sports paraphernalia and held raffles. They attracted media attention and corporate sponsorships. By year’s end, they had raised $100,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
At a stop for the 2003 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nevada, they had an idea that caught on and spread like wildfire. “It dawned on us that if players pledged just one percent of their winnings to the Prevent Cancer Foundation as a tax-deductible donation,” explains Phil, “it would go a long way in reaching the public about the achievability of preventing cancer.” So they lobbied their friends in the poker community and the Bad Beat on Cancer initiative took off. Before they knew it, 80 players had pledged enough money to fund a promising research grant for an entire year.
Bad Beat on Cancer has grown exponentially since 2003. Thousands of amateur and professional players across the country and around the world are pledging to put a Bad Beat on Cancer – from home leagues on up to the World Series of Poker. The initiative grew even further when Phil and Rafe partnered with the Foundation to launch “I’ll Raise You A Million” – a year-long fundraising campaign beginning with the 2006 World Series of Poker, and ending with the 2007 Capitol Hill Bad Beat on Cancer Poker Tournament. Their $1 million goal was met in just 10 months!
Rafe sees the phenomenon as part of what he calls the “New Philanthropy,” describing it as “a cultural change afoot that is leading more and more of us to believe and act on the belief that we can make a big impact, in our lifetime, with or without large amounts of capital.”
Phil and Rafe stand at the vanguard of a new generation of philanthropists. The Foundation recognized this, and they were unanimously elected to the Board of Directors in 2004. “We jumped at the chance to get involved in a more strategic way,” says Phil. “And our approach to charity work is the same as it is to new business ventures. Before the Ultimate Sports Adventure got moving, we spent weeks evaluating dozens of organizations to support. The Prevent Cancer Foundation stood up to our test as a fiscally responsible organization making a real difference in people’s lives. We are honored to play a part.”
« Back to the Bad Beat on Cancer Page