Big Slick Celebrity Weekend is an annual Kansas City fundraiser for Children’s Mercy, hosted by a group of nationally known entertainers who grew up in the metro and staged to a single purpose: eradicating pediatric cancer.1 It began in 2010 as a poker tournament — the name is a poker hand — and by its 17th year in 2026 had raised nearly $34 million.1 It is the only entity in the Pitch Best of KC record to win its category in every single year the category existed, 2022 through 2025.

Origins

In 2010, Rob Riggle called two fellow Shawnee Mission graduates, Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis, with a single proposal: “Let’s host a poker tournament to raise money for Children’s Mercy.”1 Both agreed immediately and pulled in family and friends. The first Big Slick Celebrity Weekend was assembled on nine weeks of planning, and with help from Will Ferrell, director Adam McKay, Bobby Cannavale, George Wendt and Will Forte, it raised over $120,000 in that first year.1

The host group later expanded to include two more area natives, Eric Stonestreet and David Koechner, and in 2023 added Heidi Gardner — a longtime Big Slick regular — as the official sixth host.1

Scale and structure

Big Slick raises money through sponsorships, a live auction, an online auction, branded merchandise — a limited-edition tee at a $100 donation, an annual fixture “for over a dozen years” — and assorted other campaigns.12 The organization states that “every dollar raised goes directly to Children’s Mercy,” that it works to hold expenses down, and that the national attention the weekend brings has helped the hospital recruit medical and research talent internationally.1

The weekend’s format has shifted over time. The 2026 edition ran a Friday, May 29 VIP event and the Big Slick Show at T-Mobile Center on Saturday, May 30, with the site noting explicitly that there was no softball game in 2026 — the Kauffman Stadium celebrity softball game having been a signature component in prior years.2

The beneficiary, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, was founded in 1897 and operates not-for-profit hospitals in both Missouri and Kansas.1

The $34 million cumulative total and the “every dollar goes directly” claim are the organization’s own statements about its own finances. They are recorded as such. A 501(c)(3) filing would be the independent check and is not consulted here.

Recognition — The Pitch Best of KC

Vote counts are as the poll reported them.3

YearGroupCategoryPlacingVotesEntered as
2022Arts & EntertainmentBest Fundraising EventWinner337Big Slick4
2023Arts & EntertainmentBest Fundraising EventWinner537Big Slick5
2024Arts & EntertainmentBest Fundraising EventWinner374Big Slick Celebrity Weekend6
2025Arts & EntertainmentBest Fundraising EventWinner383Big Slick Celebrity Weekend7

Four entries, four wins — a clean sweep of Best Fundraising Event across every year the category ran. The poll recorded it as “Big Slick” in 2022-2023 and “Big Slick Celebrity Weekend” in 2024-2025; both forms are carried in aliases.

Sources

Footnotes

  1. “About Big Slick” — Big Slick official site (accessed 2026-09-12) · Asserts: the 2010 founding; Rob Riggle’s call to Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis as fellow Shawnee Mission graduates; the poker-tournament proposal and nine weeks of planning; Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Bobby Cannavale, George Wendt and Will Forte helping raise over $120,000 in the first year; Eric Stonestreet and David Koechner joining as hosts and Heidi Gardner added as official sixth host in 2023; the 2026 event as the 17th year and “nearly $34 million” raised since launch; the sponsorship / live auction / merchandise funding mix; “every dollar raised goes directly to Children’s Mercy”; the recruiting effect; Children’s Mercy founded 1897 with hospitals in Missouri and Kansas. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. Big Slick official site, home page (accessed 2026-09-12) · Asserts: the 2026 schedule — Friday May 29 VIP event with no softball game for 2026, and the Saturday May 30 Big Slick Show at T-Mobile Center; the online auction; the limited-edition tee at a $100 donation and its “over a dozen years” run; “Benefiting Children’s Mercy Hospital.” ↩ ↩2

  3. All Pitch Best of KC placings on this page are taken from the first-party SceneThink winners portals, harvested 2026-09-12 and held at 05_Operations/Pitch-Best-Of-KC-Awards-2021-2025.csv. Vote counts are as the poll reported them. Method, per-year portal slugs and coverage limits are recorded alongside the dataset in the KS.City award record. ↩

  4. The Pitch, Best of KC 2022 — Arts & Entertainment, Best Fundraising Event: Big Slick, Winner, 337 votes (portal accessed 2026-09-12) ↩

  5. The Pitch, Best of KC 2023 — Arts & Entertainment, Best Fundraising Event: Big Slick, Winner, 537 votes (portal accessed 2026-09-12) ↩

  6. The Pitch, Best of KC 2024 — Arts & Entertainment, Best Fundraising Event: Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, Winner, 374 votes (portal accessed 2026-09-12) ↩

  7. The Pitch, Best of KC 2025 — Arts & Entertainment, Best Fundraising Event: Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, Winner, 383 votes (portal accessed 2026-09-12) ↩

See also

Categories
  • Wiki Page
  • Event
  • Philanthropy
  • Power And Light District
  • Modern

On the record — ks.city/wiki/events/big-slick-celebrity-weekend · last revised 2026-09-12