Phil Hellmuth Donates to Guy Laliberte's FoundationONE DROP Combats Water Scarcity and Educates |
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News From the Live Updates Team
Phil Hellmuth just stopped by at the Five-Star World Poker Classic to let us in on a little secret... He is down to his last $20,000 here in Las Vegas.
That's right, the poker brat himself is nearly busto.... at least in this city. But Phil is not one to hoard his last few bricks of cash, he has decided to give it all away to charity. Not just any charity, but a foundation started by famed Cirque Du Soleil originator Guy Laliberte.
Hellmuth called the live updates team over to witness the donation first hand. He waited patiently as Laliberte played out his blinds and then made the contribution.
Laliberte has shown a great deal of concern for the world's water crisis and his foundation ONE DROP is dedicated to preserving the world's water supply so that not only will our resources be sufficient but also ensure that future generations will not suffer from a lack of clean water.
According to Laliberte, the water crisis is so apparent in other parts of the world that a person dies every 8 seconds from the absence of clean drinking water. ONE DROP is dedicated to educating others about water conservation, proper irrigation and other techniques for preserving what is quickly becoming one of the world's most scarce natural resources.
Phil the Philanthropist credits his generosity to a recent conversation with Laliberte, as well as other charitable endeavors he has participated in recently.
He says Laliberte spoke of the "circle of life" and mentioned "trying to create a ripple effect that would spark a movement to solve the dramatic situation."
Hellmuth has been involved with other charitable organizations in the past. He was recently given the rights to use the trademarked Kentucky Derby name to hold the inaugural Kentucky Derby Poker Championship, to which he donated an additional $10,000. While he was in attendance, he also contributed $15,000 to the Kentucky Derby Cancer Foundation.
Hellmuth was down to his last $55,000 yesterday, and after buying a friend into the tournament along with some other expenses, decided he "might as well empty his funds." He responded with, "After all, I can always reload."
Laliberte and Hellmuth have been friends for a while now, appearing on shows like "High Stakes Poker" on the Game Show Network and playing in side games together. Laliberte credits Hellmuth's generosity to his engaging personality, calling him "outspoken, funny and a constant source of entertainment."
Hellmuth may be having a temporary cash flow problem, but I wouldn't feel too bad for him. After all, in Las Vegas there's an ATM just around every corner.
You can learn more about the ONE DROP FOUNDATION here.
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