Jeopardy! Champion Ken Jennings Selects Villagereach to Benefit

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Jeopardy! Champion Ken Jennings Selects Villagereach to Benefit Jeopardy! Champion Ken Jennings Selects VillageReach to Benefit from Upcoming Watson Competition Jennings to compete against IBM’s Watson computing system February 14, 15 and 16 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, January 13, 2011 ­­ VillageReach, the Seattle‐based social enterprise that increases access to healthcare for remote, underserved communities, today announced it has been selected by celebrated Jeopardy! Champion Ken Jennings as beneficiary of the upcoming Jeopardy! competition between man and machine. The news was announced at a press conference at IBM Research headquarters in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Jennings broke the Jeopardy! record for the most consecutive games played, winning 74 games in a row during the 2004‐2005 season. He will play against fellow Jeopardy! Champion Brad Rutter and IBM’s Watson computing system. Watson, named after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, was built by a team of IBM scientists who set out to accomplish a grand challenge ‐‐ build a computing system that rivals a human's ability to answer questions posed in natural language with speed, accuracy and confidence. “I recognize the great effort VillageReach is making to improve the lives of those in the developing world who are in critical need of healthcare and I’m proud to help,” said Jennings. “VillageReach’s innovative approach to improving access to healthcare and their commitment to documenting the results of their work for donors motivated me to select them for the Jeopardy! competition.” “We are thrilled that Ken has recognized our work and proud to represent Seattle’s innovation in global health on Jeopardy!,” said VillageReach President Allen Wilcox. “The support from Ken and Jeopardy! will help further our work in sub‐Saharan Africa to improve the lives of many families at risk from a lack of basic healthcare.” The first‐ever man vs. machine Jeopardy! competition will air on February 14, 15 and 16, 2011, with two matches being played over three consecutive days. The grand prize for this competition will be $1 million with second place earning $300,000 and third place $200,000. Jennings and Rutter will donate 50 percent of their winnings to charity, and IBM will donate 100 percent of its winnings to charity. About Ken Jennings Ken Jennings, a Washington State native, broke the Jeopardy! record for the most consecutive games played by winning 74 games in a row during the 2004‐2005 season, resulting in winnings of more than $2.5 million. About VillageReach VillageReach is a non‐profit social enterprise. Its mission is to save lives and improve well‐being in developing countries by increasing last‐mile access to healthcare and investing in social businesses that address gaps in community infrastructure. The independent charity evaluator, GiveWell, rates VillageReach #1 for proven impact, cost‐effectiveness, and transparency. See www.givewell.org. For further information, please contact: VillageReach John Beale Tel: +1‐206‐925‐5203 Mobile: +1‐206‐755‐0145 Email: [email protected] Websites: www.villagereach.org, www.villagereachfocus.org .
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