And here’s the official word:

“I would like to take a minute to sincerely thank all of those who were involved in the “Hold’em for Heroes” poker event held on March 25th at the COB Basra USO. I am amazed at the amount of support that was given. We raised over $2800.00 in support of Operation Ward 57. This is an incredible accomplishment and will, without question, greatly improve the quality of life of our fellow Service Members currently recovering on the ward.”

CHRISTIAN HAMILTON
SSG, USA

posterGIANT is donating its services to raise awareness and much needed funds for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Our guerilla marketing company is embarking on a street-level campaign in hopes of securing support for the two-year-old facility, which is located in Cle Elum. Opened in 2008, it’s home to seven chimpanzees released from biomedical research.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW) is located on a 26-acre farm in the Cascade mountains. It is one of only nine sanctuaries in the country that cares for chimpanzees, and was founded in 2003 to provide sanctuary for those discarded from the entertainment and biomedical testing industries.

Share the planet. Help a friend.

For more information on CSNW, visit www.chimpsanctuarynw.org

Hold 'em For Heroes Poker Tournament

posterGIANT has a long standing relationship Non-Profit organization Operation Ward 57, founded by Deborah Semer. We urge you to offer your support to their upcoming fundraiser or just check them out online. They’ve got some pretty cool shirts for sale (originally designed through posterGIANT) that help raise money for the wounded soldiers the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Here’s their recent press release:

PUBLIC INVITED TO PLAY CARDS AT PALACE CASINO IN LAKEWOOD, WA TO SUPPORT SOLDIER’S “HOLD ‘EM FOR HEROES” POKER TOURNAMENT IN BASRA, IRAQ RAISING FUNDS FOR WOUNDED

Seattle, WA – On Thursday March 25th from 6 pm to 10 pm, the general public and local military are invited to the Palace Casino (near Joint Base Lewis-McChord) at 8200 Tacoma Mall Blvd, Lakewood, WA 98499, phone (253) 581-5851, http://www.chipscasino.com/lakewood-palace.html to play poker and support Operation Ward 57 and the “Hold ‘em for Heroes” poker tournament taking place on the same day in Basra, Iraq.

As America enters its 7th year of the Iraq war, showing support for our returning wounded service members is more important than ever. Supporters can make a donation online at www.operationward57.org and secure a place at the reserved tables and/or donate a portion of their winnings to the cause. Betting limits start as low as $1-2. This event is regular game play, not tournament poker. Gaming age is 19. Donations go directly to support the wounded Operation Iraqi Freedom /Operation Enduring Freedom Service members recovering from their injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. No purchase or donation is required. Operation Ward 57 T-shirts that are given to patients and families will also be available for sale at the Palace Casino event.

Occurring the same day the Contingency Operating Base, Basra USO will be holding the 1st ever “Hold ‘em for Heroes” poker tournament. The event is open to service members who can participate at the USO center in Basra. Special poker chip design trophies were made for the winners and prizes have been donated from various companies and supporters around the country. All funds raised will go to Operation Ward 57.

The community of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, have time and time again proven that there is no better network of support than Service members helping Service members. The “Hold ‘em for Heroes” event was conceived by SSG Christian Hamilton and supported by the USO and the 1st Battalion (ASSLT), 377th FAR. Personally impacted by the casualties of war, and inspired by Operation Ward 57, he was motivated to find a way to make an impact on and improve the overall quality of life of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines that have sacrificed so much in support of OIF/OEF.

About Operation Ward 57: Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington DC is the first stop for many of America’s returning wounded service members from Iraq and Afghanistan. Known as “the amputee ward”, the orthopedic Ward 57 at WRAMC houses patients for weeks or even months and the painful sacrifice of losing a limb is the new battle these heroes and their families now fight. Operation Ward 57 was founded in 2007, as a program of pro-football player, Kerry Carter’s Think Big Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, to provide ongoing support for wounded soldiers, their family and the staff who take care of them. The program has grown in popularity so much that Operation Ward 57 will become its own non-profit in 2010.

How to Donate: http://www.operationward57.org/order.aspx Scroll to cash donate button and enter amount of donation, or purchase a shirt and write a note “Hold ‘em for Heroes” when prompted in Paypal.

Press Links: http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Hole-em-for-Heroes-poker-tournament-86652762.html

http://www.northwestmilitary.com/news/focus/2010/03/northwest-military-fort-lewis-ranger-newspaper-mcchord-airlifter-tyler-hemstreet-holdem-for-heroes-o/

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Contact: Lakewood Poker Event – Brittney McBride, Brittney@operationward57.org (206) 713.1363
Operation Ward 57 – Deborah Semer, Deborah@operationward57.org (206) 829.9822
Basra Event Information, christian.hamilton@us.army.mil
www.operationward57.org
www.facebook.com/operationward57
www.twitter.com/operationward57