With the world still in disarray and not yet out of pandemic chaos, turning to routine and consistency, as well as the bright lights of noble actions, is something that can comfort us all, especially this holiday season. For 11 straight years now, poker player and media personality Bernard Lee and his children, Noah and Maya, have fulfilled their annual holiday charity drive for their local Boston-area families.
The Lees, via their Full House Charity Program, collaborated with FamilyAid Boston to provide customized holiday packages for dozens of local families experiencing homelessness. Extra care was taken to prepare specific gift items wished for by 60 participating children ranging in age from newborn to 16. RunGoodGear.com served as the primary sponsor of the program.
For eleven consecutive holiday seasons, Lee has supported children in need by donating all proceeds of his Full House Charity Program to child-focused charitable organizations across New England. He has done so over the last six years in coordination with FamilyAid.
“FamilyAid is serving numerous children and parents this holiday season, and Bernard and his children are helping give the gift of happiness and joy to families who need it most,” stated FamilyAid President, Larry Seamans. “We are grateful to Bernard for six consecutive years of partnership and his dedication to bringing joy to these homeless children and parents.”
As with last year, the Lee family delivered the gift bags to FamilyAid, which proceeded to distribute them directly at family residences. Pandemic permitting, the Lees hope to resume delivering the packages in person, as they had done in prior years.
Said Bernard, “My family and I feel so fortunate to be able to pay it forward and make these families’ holiday season a little brighter. This family tradition is the highlight of the year for me and my children, as we truly look forward to creating each customized gift package for the kids. I also want to truly thank two organizations: FamilyAid for working carefully though all the issues during this unprecedented pandemic so we can still provide these holidays gift packages and RunGoodGear, whose ambassadors have donated specifically requested toys year after year to be included in the kids’ holiday packages.”
As we’ve documented in the past, what makes this annual gesture extra special is the time and personal effort of the Lee family, who gather, sort, and package all the gift items themselves. This involves dozens of hours of dedication to the cause, as they go about collecting a cacophony of items including winter clothing, books, toys, games, sports balls, and art supplies. Moreover, they always make sure that younger children each receive his or her own stuffed animal and that the mothers receive a new winter coat.
Throughout the past several years, RunGoodGear and its ambassadors have stepped up and made donations to help provide specific toys to these needy children.
“The RunGood ambassadors are a special group of individuals who have assisted Bernard and his family in his mission to bring the holiday spirit to kids year after year,” stated Tana Karn, President and Founder of RunGoodGear.com. “It’s always heartwarming to see Bernard and the team answer the call to make the winter season special for these deserving families.”
Lee launched his Full House Charity Program in February of 2011, and has since provided more than $100,000 worth of goods and funds to children-focused organizations in New England. The program has helped over 400 families and 700 children during its history.
About FamilyAid
FamilyAid empowers parents and caregivers facing homelessness to secure and sustain housing and build foundations for their children’s futures. As a leading provider to families facing homelessness in Greater Boston, FamilyAid offers a comprehensive set of programs and services including prevention programs, emergency shelter, housing supports, and social services for children. Over the past year, FamilyAid helped over 3,000 homeless children and parents on their path to stable housing. For more information, please visit www.familyaidboston.org.
About Run Good Gear
RunGoodGear.com is poker’s premier online-store for apparel. Their mission is to provide poker players with stylish and comfortable clothing for on and off the poker felt. The RunGood Poker Series captured back-to-back Global Poker Awards for Mid-Major Tour/Circuit of the Year in 2019 and 2020.
