PokerWorks

Poker players are more frequently becoming known for their charitable donations and willingness to help raise money for almost any cause, but one player led the way on that front and continues to do so. Jennifer Harman has donated to charities and hosted benefits for years, and she recently announced that she will donate one percent of her earnings going forward to the NephCure Foundation for kidney disease research.

Harman is arguably one of the best poker players in the world. Not only does she have more than $2 million in live tournament earnings and 2 WSOP bracelets to her credit, but she continually plays in the highest stakes cash game in the world, the “Big Game,” and represents Full Tilt Poker as a member of the primary team of players.

But a lifetime of dealing with kidney issues of her own has led her to a personal mission to help others. Years ago, she created CODA, which stood for “Creating Organ Donor Awareness” after receiving a second life-saving kidney transplant and realizing how dire patient needs can be when requiring donors. Harman’s ongoing battle with kidney disease and desire to help those suffering the same plight most recently led her to support the NephCure Foundation.

The NephCure Foundation raises funds for research for two debilitating kidney diseases, Nephrotic Syndrom and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis. Research for a treatment and a cure are only part of the foundation’s efforts, as they offer information and assistance to those afflicted as well as fight for legislation from the federal government that will support the research. More than $6 million has been raised in recent years.

Harman said of her pledge to donate one percent of her winnings, “Kidney disease is extremely difficult. It is invisible and it affects kids and adults alike. NephCure is trying to find an answer and I’m here to help by joining ‘All-in for a Cure.’”

Other poker players who have also made the one percent pledge include Lee Childs and Matt Glantz.