Printable version: http://www.freethoughtfilmfest.org/web_documents/poker2012press.pdf

Poker in the Church

For Immediate Release

(Orlando, March 13, 2012) The Freethought Film Festival Foundation is hosting a charity event on Wednesday, August 1st, 2012. The first annual Freethought Celebrity Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament and Casino Night, themed, “Poker in The Church”, will be held at “The Church” nightclub in downtown Denver, Colorado. The fundraising event is to benefit the Foundation Beyond Belief, a humanist, charitable, nonprofit organization that raises and distributes funds to five different charities per quarter. Beneficiaries include charities in the categories of education, poverty and health, human rights and the natural world. The Foundation Beyond Belief Website states, “Carefully selected for impact and efficiency, our featured beneficiaries are secular organizations with the exception of Challenge the Gap, which features non-proselytizing organizations based in other worldviews.”For a suggested donation, participants may register for the Texas Hold ‘Em Poker tournament, where there will be at least one freethought celebrity at each table. The tournament is limited to 135 players who will compete for non-cash prizes, donated to the Freethought Film Festival Foundation for this event. Information packets and online registration can be found at the Freethought Film Festival Foundation Website at www.freethoughtfilmfest.org. Spectator passes are also available for a suggested donation. Spectators will receive non-cash value chips for playing casino games. “Winnings” will be exchanged for raffle tickets to enter various chance drawings during the event.Committed freethought celebrities to date include writers, scientists, activists, leaders and entertainers, who are widely recognized in the secular movement.  The last freethought celebrity player standing in the tournament will choose a single charity from Foundation Beyond Belief’s list of beneficiaries, which will receive half of the proceeds of the event from the Freethought Film Festival Foundation. The other half of the proceeds will go to Foundation Beyond Belief to be distributed equally among the five charities for that quarter.Based in Orlando, Florida, the Freethought Film Festival Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that promotes reason, critical thinking and freedom of inquiry through the medium of film. The organization hosts the annual International Freethought Film Festival, which is held in a different city each year. “Poker in The Church” is one of the events that are a part of the 2012 International Freethought Film Festival activities in Denver. Founder and executive director, Andrea Steele comments, “Looking forward, the tournament is anticipated to coincide with the annual film festival for years to come. But only if the world doesn’t end on December 21st, of course.”# # #Freethought Film Festival Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, educational organization, exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Federal tax code. Established in August, 2009, the major focus of the organization is to host an annual, International Freethought Film Festival. Its mission is to promote reason, critical thinking and freedom of inquiry through the medium of film.

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