Bernard Lee Celebrates 15th Year of Helping Boston-Area Homeless Families
For the 15th year, poker pro and media personality Bernard Lee celebrated the holiday season by providing for children and families experiencing homelessness in the Boston area.
In 2025, Lee and his family customized gift packages to 30 children who were part of 20 families experiencing homelessness in the Boston area. This annual holiday charitable initiative delivers customized packages to each child that include winter clothing, books, toys, games, sports equipment, art supplies, and a stuffed animal.
“For the past 15 years, my kids and I have celebrated our family holiday tradition with The Full House Charity Program. From the beginning, my kids helped organize and choose gifts for the program’s children. Now that my own children are adults, they both love continuing the family tradition,” stated Lee. “This year, we are so pleased to be celebrating our 15th year of The Full House Charity Program. Every holiday season for the past decade and a half, we have thoroughly enjoyed creating the custom packages and delivering these presents to the children. For the past 10 years, we have been so privileged to have partnered with Family Aid to make our program a true success.”
Lee and his children spend dozens of hours personally organizing each customized holiday package developed from each child’s wish lists. Lee was pleased to once again join forces with FamilyAid as this year marked a special anniversary for their decade-long partnership.
“FamilyAid is grateful to Bernard Lee and his children for again providing holiday gifts to the children in our shelters. Their generosity comes at a time when families are facing more challenges than ever in meeting their basic needs and securing stable housing. Families tell us every day that providing holiday gifts is daunting, if not impossible,” said FamilyAid President Larry Seamans. “Thanks to Bernard and his family, children in our care will have gifts, and even more, joy at the holidays, and parents will be relieved to see their children’s happiness. We cannot thank the Lee Family enough for their continuing generosity and compassion over the past decade.”
Lee launched his Full House Charity Program in February of 2011 and has since provided well over $100,000 worth of goods and funds to children-focused organizations in New England. The program has helped over 550 families and 900 children during its decade and a half history.
Outside of poker, Lee has become an avid pickleball player/instructor and captured the National Championship at the 2023 National Senior Games, 2024 Massachusetts Senior Games, and recently the 2025 Rhode Island Senior Games.
Lee's Son Made National Headlines in 2025
In February 2025, Lee's son put on a shooting clinic during a UMass women's basketball game halftime contest that paid the college student $10,000. Or, it should have.
Noam Lee had 30 seconds to make a layup, free-throw, three-pointer, and then a half-court shot to win the money. He not only did that, but he also made all four shots with time to spare. The sparse crowd inside the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, erupted after the final shot went through the net. Josh Schreiber, a friend of the presumed winner, shared a video of it all on X.
Unfortunately, organizers originally refused to pay out, saying Noam's foot was on the line. Ethan "Rampage" Yau, a popular poker vlogger and WPT Global ambassador, caught wind of the situation that occurred at his alma mater. The high-stakes poker player referred to the ruling as a "scam," and generously offered to give Lee some of his own money.
"As a UMass grad, this is pretty lame. Can someone get me in touch with the winner, I’ll give him 5K. When I was in college, winning even 1K would’ve been year-changing for me. You can’t scam college students like this," Yau tweeted.
Thanks largely to public pressure, Noam did receive the five-figure payout.
*Images courtesy of Bernard Lee.
