Flathead Businesswoman and Philanthropist Victoria Livschitz Donates $30,000 in Poker Winnings to Local Charities

WHITEFISH, Mont., Nov. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Resident of Whitefish, Montana Victoria Livschitz, recently donated $30,000 to two local non-profits: the Glacier Institute and the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation (FVSEF). 

Successful serial entrepreneur, Livschitz moved to the Flathead Valley area last October to set up the headquarters for her new Montana-based outdoors recreation tech startup, RightOnTrek, whose mission it is to make wilderness adventures more accessible for everyone.

"I fell in love with Montana the moment I arrived," said Victoria. Aside from the stunningly beautiful landscape, she discovered a vibrant business community and a talent pool that is "extraordinary" for both high-tech and traditional industries. 

The donation comes from Victoria's recent take from six events at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. "Poker is a relatively new hobby of mine," she continued, "and I didn't expect to get this deep in so many events. I had a lot of fun; but I don't play poker to make money. I am delighted to be able to take these winnings and use them for the causes I am passionate about by supporting the local organizations that make the great outdoors accessible to everyone." 

The Glacier Institute, the official education partner of Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest, will receive $15,000. They plan on using one half of the donation to bolster their youth education program, and the other $7,500 will be put toward their Restoration Big Creek Capital Campaign, an initiative aimed at renovating a historic ranger station where they run their youth program. 

"This is a really big deal for us, not only to get dollars that we can use toward our mission, but to know that we have support from our community tells us that we're doing something right," said Anthony Nelson, Glacier Institute Executive Director. "It's a special thing when a non-profit organization can partner with a for-profit organization that has conservation and education in mind, and it's clear that Victoria is extremely passionate about the outdoors and breaking down barriers to get outdoors. That's one of the main focuses of the Glacier Institute as well. So, our missions align in a lot of ways."

Aside from her most recent donations, Livschitz worked with the Glacier Institute last year when RightOnTrek donated gear rentals and food for one of the Glacier Institute's youth summer camps, and in the future, she hopes to partner with local businesses and other non-profits to develop educational programs, digital and physical, that will teach people a range of skills necessary to enjoy the wilderness recreation safely and responsibly.

The other $15,000 will go to the FVSEF to help further their mission of promoting athletic, academic, and personal excellence to local youth through educational and competitive programs in skiing and ski racing. 

"We are a non-profit and rely heavily on donations and sponsors to help offset program fees for our participants," said Hilary Lindh, FVSEF Program Director and Head Coach. "We are really excited about this sponsorship and think it's a great fit for our families. We believe RightOnTrek will be a great resource to our families wherever they choose to recreate."

Livschitz looks forward to more poker battles in the future. "Poker is an exciting intellectual challenge and stress relief. Being able to use the winnings for charity is a great motivator to study and compete harder," she laughed.

Media contact: Wyatt Anthony, Senior Outdoors Recreations Public Relations Specialist at RightOnTrek. [email protected] (860) 271-9858

SOURCE RightOnTrek

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