One Step Closer Foundation to Host Charity Poker Tournament Friday at Planet HollywoodRaising the Stakes Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament will Raise Funds for Cerebral Palsy Research and Support |
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Jacob Zalewski and friends are Raising the Stakes for Cerebral Palsy once again.
The ninth installment of The One Step Closer Foundation Raising the Stakes for CP celebrity charity poker tournament begins at 2 pm Friday, June 19 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Registration for the $330 tournament with $100 re-buys begins at 1 pm and $25,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to the final table. The winner will receive $10,000.
The idea to use poker as a way to raise funds for the very condition Zalewski was born with came about after he attended the first Ante Up for Africa tournament at the World Series of Poker.
“I thought it was so much fun with so many celebrities and so much exposure. They did an amazing thing with that and I had an idea that we should do something like that for Cerebral Palsy,” Zalewski said.
His father, poker player Hershel Zalewski, handed him a blank check and told him to go with his heart’s desire.
“I went to a few casinos and got laughed out of the building,” Zalewski said.
But having been a fighter since birth when he was given just a three percent chance of survival, Zalewski did not give up.
“I’ve always had high aspirations and high goals. When someone tells me I can’t do something, it makes me want to do it more,” he said.
During its first year the tournament drew 44 players and raised $44,000.
“Now seven years later we’ve raised over $600,000 and helped countless kids and hospitals. We’ve started scholarship funds for people with disabilities, we’ve teamed up with a company that builds bikes for disabled kids and have given away 10 of those,” Zalewski said. “Just stuff like that. We try to make the world a better place.”
Montel Williams, Cheryl Hines and Meki Phifer are among the celebrities attending this year’s event along with poker players Joe Cada and Jamie Gold. Actors turned poker players Jennifer Tilly and James Woods will be in attendance, as will baseball legend Jose Canseco.
The OSCF is a non-profit, charitable organization whose main goal is to ease the lives of those who suffer from Cerebral Palsy. Founded in 2007, the organization supports Cerebral Palsy research and strives to promote awareness and understanding of the disease through education programs and supports groups. The OSCF also helps to financially assist those who have been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and their caregivers who are unable to handle the financial costs associated with the disease.
“Depending on how bad your condition is, there are various forms, you can be at the doctors every month. I was lucky enough to have a light version of it, but my wheelchair was $6,000, and most insurance companies always saw no. They told me I wasn’t disabled enough,” Zalewski said of the financial burden individuals and families can be faced with. “Braces, which a lot of people need, can cost an average of $1,500. A walker can be anywhere from $500 to $1,000. Just a standard wheelchair can be anywhere from $5,000 to $250,000 depending on what you need.”
In addition to helping individuals, OSCF coordinates with Shriners Hospitals for Children and has donated over $50,000 to Tirr Memorial Hospital in Texas.
*entry fees to the tournament must be paid in cash
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