Bodog helps Haiti
Calvin Ayre sends a personal message to the online gambling industry to help out in Haiti:
“It’s a disaster in Haiti. I know they’ve had a tough go from Mother Nature recently, what with the hurricane and now this earthquake, but I cannot help but be disgusted with the ruling elite that have driven this country down like this while, no doubt, filling their own pockets. That being said, the innocents are, as always, the ones paying a horrendous price for this elite thievery and I think the global online gaming community has a duty to do something.”
“I have asked my Foundation (www.calvinayrefoundation.org) to send £10,000 to U.K. based Oxfam (www.oxfam.org.uk) to aid in their Haiti relief efforts.”
“But that’s not all. I want to personally challenge the rest of the online gaming industry to contribute to Oxfam’s Haiti relief efforts. My private foundation will match all donations made to Oxfam by an online gaming person totaling up to $1,000,000.”
“In a situation like this, each of us has a duty to help. Let’s do it!”
About Calvin Ayre
Calvin Ayre is the Founder of the Bodog online gaming and entertainment brand, which he developed and launched in 1994.
As the face of the Bodog brand, Ayre’s notoriety skyrocketed in the mid-2000s when online gaming’s popularity surged. Ayre’s public profile went mainstream when he was featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine’s 2006 annual “Billionaires” issue, as well as being named one of People Magazine’s “Hottest Bachelors” just months later, and one of Star Magazine’s “Most Eligible Billionaire Bachelors” in late 2007.
Ayre received a Bachelor of Sciences (BSc) in General Sciences from the University of Waterloo in 1984, where he played defense for the varsity hockey team. In 1989, Ayre was also awarded an MBA in Management Finance from City University in Seattle, Washington.
In 1994 Ayre sold everything he owned and, with just $10,000 to his name, assembled his team and launched the original Bodog.
Ayre retains an interest in the brand licensing organization BodogBrand.com, which owns and licenses the Bodog brand to various “brand licensees” in the entertainment sector.
In November, 2009, Ayre launched www.calvinayre.com, a “tabloid blog” or “tablog” targeted at the online gaming industry.
About The Calvin Ayre Foundation
Founded in 2005, the Calvin Ayre Foundation, headquartered in Antigua, is a private and independent foundation with a charter to do charitable work worldwide. With Ayre as Chairman, the Foundation has pledged millions of dollars and hundreds of hours in support of individuals, communities and charitable organizations throughout the world. Included among those charities are the Fisher House Foundation, the LA Lakers Youth Foundation, the Humane Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Animal Avengers Organization, and the Sean McCauley Hope Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. In 2007 the Calvin Ayre Foundation announced a program with the World Society for the Protection of Animals to combat the practice of farming Asian bears for their bile for the Traditional Chinese Medicine market.
The Calvin Ayre Foundation’s own initiatives include the Sponsor a School Project, which provides students living in underdeveloped nations opportunities for a quality education, and the Sponsor a Family Project, which provides financial support for the immediate families of sponsored students.
