I went to camp for three days recently. That's right, back to camp, Ruth Lilly's YMCA Camp located near Shelbyville, Indiana. For three days of the year, it's designated as "Mickey's Camp." Mickey's Camp isn't for kids, but for successful businessmen who are still kids at heart. My purpose there was to host poker seminars and run a poker tournament. It was a very memorable experience.
Mickey's Camp was a longtime dream of Indianapolis businessman and community leader Mickey Maurer. It was designed to raise money for local charities while enabling attendees to have some fun. Last year Mickey's dream came true with the first annual Mickey's Camp, which raised more than $100,000 for 40 local charities. This year, more money was raised for even more charities. The money comes from the cost of attending the camp – $1,500 per camper, which is tax deductible. A number of corporate sponsors also help with expenses such as food (which was sensational), beverages, camp shirts, staffing, and so on.
Mickey's Camp is a place where businessmen can leave behind their daily pressures, explore new opportunities, perfect old skills, enjoy the camaraderie of each other in a relaxed, informal atmosphere, and contribute to charities by attending. It has become so popular that there is now a waiting list to attend the camp.
Event coordinator Maribeth Smith and her assistant Kari Strolburg help Mickey organize everything for the camp. These ladies are wonderful people who get the job done – and that goes for any job that needs to be done. The three of them brainstorm about camp activities, solicit comments from the campers as to what things they would like to learn, and then contact the best of the best in each area to staff the activities. This year, the keynote speaker was U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh.
Campers are able to choose from a number of daily activities. They actually select a schedule of classes (activities), as if they were in high school or college, but the camp's classes are a lot more fun – basketball, billiards, fly fishing, scuba diving, archery, gourmet cooking, photography, skeet shooting, golf, table tennis, juggling, kayaking, CPR, and poker, which was added for the first time this year. I'm pleased to report that poker was the most popular activity in camp.
The poker sessions included total newcomers to poker and some who had been playing for a number of years. What impressed me most about these guys was how attentive they were in class. They were like sponges absorbing everything. It was easy to see why they are successful in business.
I spoke about a variety of poker-related subjects: why poker is such a great game, the growth of poker, tournament poker, the World Poker Tour, how poker relates to business, the object of the game, keys to the game, what they need to do to become successful players, how they can improve their game, and how to play hold'em. I also told a few poker stories. Each session was 90 minutes long and a lot of fun.
We also had a no-limit hold'em poker tournament. Everyone cherished the idea of becoming the "poker champion" at Mickey's Camp. Trophies were awarded to the top three finishers, as were coveted World Poker Tour shirts and hats. As the tournament got under way, I announced that the winners would also appear in Card Player. They loved it. Their excitement really grew after hearing that statement, as did their focus. Congratulations to Matt Burnett, Bob Schloss, and Steve Shideler, the top three finishers in the poker tournament.
I admire all the people involved with Mickey's Camp. They donate their time, effort, and money to give back to their community. Wouldn't it be great if Mickey's Camp could serve as a model for other communities and be done nationwide?
Even without something as complete as Mickey's Camp, I'm convinced poker tournaments for charity could be done on a widespread basis. The poker industry would take a giant step forward if charity poker events appeared everywhere. Tournaments are fun, and there are many people, like those good folks in Indiana, who would participate in worthwhile charity endeavors. What better way is there to promote poker than by doing something good for others?
A poker salute goes out to all those who support Mickey's Camp, with a special tribute to Mickey Maurer. He's a royal flush in the game of life.
Take care.
Mike Sexton is the host of the online poker site PartyPoker.com – home of the PartyPoker.com Million, an event on the World Poker Tour.