Sunflower Charity Event

I attended a reception a couple of days ago and met the organizers of Sunflower Children (sunflowerchildren.org). They are having an event to celebrate there Third Annual Poker, Fashion and Sports benefit to support its SaveABaby Initiative. The black-tie affair will be held at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom and will be hosted by Russell Simmons, Supermodel Paulina Porizkova (Judge of America’s Next Top Model) and Sunflower Co-Founders and Top Models Helena Houdova and Lane Carlson.

Jamie Gold will host the poker benefit during which music legend Quincy Jones will be honored. The evening will feature a Vegas style Texas hold ’em poker tournament, boxing and martial arts contest, a fashion show sponsored by Ford Models, produced by Victoria’s Secret and Fashion week producers DMFASHIONSTUDIO and Obo.

A live auction, announced by Patrick Tully, will highlight the evening. Auction items include: a luxury getaway to Richard Branson’s private and exclusive Necker Island; a Cannes Film Festival experience package with an exclusive villa, lunch at Hotel du Cap and tickets to red carpet film premieres; an opportunity to be a judge in a models casting for the 2010 fashion week and a private dinner with 15 top models.

In addition, Wall Street Broker Tim Kelly has brought together some of Wall Street’s most respected businessmen, to compete with one another to help raise funds for Sunflower Children.

The tournament will feature six consecutive fights including the disciplines of Western Boxing and Muay Thai. Among the fighters are trader Mike Bloom of DRW Commodities; Broker Dane Carillo of Chatham Energy; Mike Dixon of Chicago Trading Company; Dan Harrington of DRW Commodities; and professional Muay Thai fighters Sean Hinds and Alex Ricci.

Poker players will compete for valuable prizes that include custom jewelry, exclusive getaways and The Ultimate Poker Experience — a never before offered prize with an estimated value of $100,000 to non-poker players and priceless to any poker enthusiast.

The winner of this prize will receive a seat in the next World Series of Poker, remote and on-site coaching from Gold, round trip airfare, accommodations and a five days stay in Las Vegas.

A lavish dinner, created by chef Nicolas Cantrel from the French-inspired restaurant Bagatelle (bistrotbagatelle.com), will be served to premium guests. All guests will be invited to enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres until 12:30 a.m.

About SaveABaby Initiative
Each day 1,800 children become infected with HIV and 1,400 children under age fifteen die from HIV-related diseases every year. The SaveABaby Initiative, launched in April 2009, is a comprehensive care program dedicated to preventing the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

With the hopes of reducing the rate of HIV infections in some of the world’s most poverty stricken countries, the program enables HIV positive expectant mothers to deliver healthy, HIV-FREE babies.

Patients are provided medical, nutritional, and educational care throughout their entire pregnancy and delivery and are offered free transportation to and from the organization’s clinics. Expectant mothers are able to learn how to control their own HIV and how to prevent passing it on to their children after birth.

Sunflower Children provides baby formula and nutritional care throughout the infant’s first year to ensure that each child has a chance at a long life free of HIV.

The SaveABaby Initiative, aims to raise $5.5 million by 2011 to save an estimated 5,500 babies from a lifetime of HIV. To achieve this goal, Sunflower Children invites anyone to text Sun90999 from their cell phones to donate $5 to the campaign.

This initiative will benefit six countries: Cambodia, Congo, Kenya, Myanmar, Vietnam and Zambia and will offer anyone in the world the opportunity to give a child a new chance in life.

A donation of $1000 can save a baby’s life from HIV; $500 sponsors vaccination, prenatal vitamins and nutrition for 175 pregnant women and their babies for seven months; $250 covers doctors’ salaries for two months; $100 sponsors one month’s supply of rice for a family; $50 provides families with baby hygiene kits; $27 sponsors HIV-free delivery; and $25 sponsors the training of medical and healthcare staff for two weeks.

About Sunflower Children
Sunflower Children (sunflowerchildren.org) strives to help children around the world overcome the burdens of poverty, disease or disability to become healthy, educated, subsistent contributors to society. Sunflower believes that education is the key to achieving this goal. The organization focuses on providing healthcare and nutritional guidance, enabling the children in Sunflower communities to grow up strong and pursue educational growth.