Israeli Air Force Navigator Donates Bone Marrow to Stricken Toddler

Charity News Online

A Reserve F-16 navigator with the Israeli Air Force has donated a bone marrow to a two year old child living abroad who contracted a violent form of cancer, ISRAEL21c reports. During the beginning days of the current war against Hizbollah, the serviceman whose name is not disclosed was busy with operational sorties when he was called away for a day to fight a more personal battle - for the life of the child. The 32-year-old was found to be a match for a bone marrow transplant desperately needed by the baby. Receiving permission to leave his unit, he rushed to the Schneider Medical Center in Petah Tikva and made a bone marrow donation for her.

A few years ago the man gave a blood sample as part of a special campaign for locating bone marrow donors in the IDF, sponsored by Ezer Mizion, which runs Israel's national bone marrow donor registry. Last year, after Ezer Mizion and the IDF signed the agreement that enabled all new recruits to join the Ezer Mizion Bone Marrow Donor Registry as an integral part of the army induction process, Brigadier General Elazar Stern, director of the IDF's Human Resources Department, noted that "In addition to defending Israel's borders, the army, together with Ezer Mizion, can now save lives in another way. "

40,000 IDF recruits join the Ezer Mizion Bone Marrow Donor Registry each year, the exact type of donor the registry is looking for, ISRAEL21c has reported. "We are talking about an ideal type of potential bone marrow donor," says Dr. Bracha Zisser, director of the Ezer Mizion registry. "IDF recruits are generally young and healthy, and are able to remain in the registry for decades."

Earlier this year the young man received a call from the organization's chief transplant coordinator who told him that he is the only person in the world that matched a baby with leukemia, whose life is in danger. Over the following weeks, he underwent a series of tests that confirmed that his genetic profile matches that of the sick baby. A date was scheduled for the marrow donation, however, one week prior to the date, as the war in the north began, the navigator was called to his platoon and he took an active part in a number of offensive sorties in Lebanese skies.

When Ezer Mizion called him to confirm his planned arrival as they had previously arranged, the navigator told them that he would be there. "It was clear to me and my commanders that no matter what would happen on the same day - this takes precedence over everything else," the serviceman said. He took a one day break from army duty and reported to the operating room of Schneider, where, under full anesthesia, a liter of bone marrow was extracted from his hip bone, containing the priceless stem cells required to save the life of the sick child.

The stem cell donation was flown abroad that night, where the family was anxiously waiting. The donated stem cells were transfused in the child's blood, with the hope that it will be accepted and will begin generating new and cancer free blood cells in her body. Over the next three weeks, she will be kept in isolation at the medical center abroad where she is being treated. Only then will her doctors be able to determine whether her system has accepted the bone marrow. Dr. Itzhak Yaniv, Head of Pediatric Oncology at Schneider, believes that her chances of recovery are good.

"I am happy that I can give her this gift and I pray for her recovery," the combat navigator said, after returning to his air force duties at the F-16 platoon in Hatzor.


Israel, IDF, Ezer Mizion Bone Marrow Donor Registry , bone marrow, Schneider Medical Center, Lebanon, Hizbollah

Givers Wary of Donating to Middle East Aid Groups – Charities

Charity News Online

Leading aid groups and charitable organizations have launched large-scale fundraising campaigns to help people suffering the consequences of bloodshed in the Middle East. Around the globe charities are raising money to help victims of the fighting in Lebanon, Israel, and Gaza.

However, many aid groups complain that while some NGOs receive strong support from Jewish donors and other people with personal ties to the region, charities have yet to see much of a response, in part because the political dimensions of the crisis have overshadowed the humanitarian needs, The Chronicle of Philanthropy website reports.

The U.S. group Mercy Corps has raised just $70,000 for its work to provide food, blankets, and other supplies to the approximately 800,000 people in Lebanon who have fled their homes because of bombings and other violence; the organization is also providing aid in the Palestinian territories. Matthew de Galan, chief development officer of the organization, says that the charitable response is sluggish in comparison with other crises like the earthquakes in Pakistan and Indonesia, which affected comparable numbers of people. "People respond to wars very differently, as donors, than they do to natural disasters," he says. "Initially, the media focuses on the story as a political-military story, and not as much as a humanitarian story. Therefore, the humanitarian needs really aren't as top of the mind."

Despite a slow initial response from some donors, several Jewish organizations have raised significant sums. United Jewish Communities has already raised nearly $12-million through its Israel Crisis Fund. Other groups have raised far less. Save the Children, which is assisting people in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon, has received just $5,800 for relief efforts so far.

Eileen Burke, a spokeswoman for the charity, says that donors are often slow to contribute to humanitarian crises created by war because they want to ensure their gifts will help those in need. "We usually see fund-raising levels increase once people see it's easy to reach children and women with life-saving materials," she says.

Zahir Janmohamed, Amnesty International's advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa, agrees that the potential for donations to fall into the wrong hands gives some donors pause. "People are nervous about donating humanitarian aid to Lebanon because of a fear that the money could end up with a group like Hezbollah," he says. Donors may also worry that their gifts could send a political message, says Mr. Janmohamed.

Despite some hesitation among donors, several groups aiding Lebanon and Gaza are beginning to see stronger fund-raising results. American Near East Refugee Aid, which is distributing medicine and other supplies to the displaced in those regions, has raised $150,000 in response to the fighting. The U.S. Fund for Unicef has raised more than $42,000 for such efforts, $14,000 of it in response to an online appeal it sent on Monday, July 24.

charity, Israel, Lebanon, United Jewish Communities, Amnesty International, UNICEF

U.S. Court Orders Release of Islamic Charity Fundraiser Held Since 2004 Over Alleged Terror Funding

Charity News Online

A federal judge has ordered that a top fundraiser for an Islamic charity the U.S. government says has ties to terrorism be released from detention, his attorney said Thursday. Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, who has been held for two years, was ordered released without bond, according to his attorney, Ranjana Natarajan of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

Hamdan, who also founded a mosque in Anaheim, was arrested on immigration charges in July 2004 as federal authorities unsealed an indictment against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. The government charged the Texas-based charity funneled millions to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, The Associated Press reported.

The following month, Hamdan was ordered deported on the immigration charges. His requests to be released on bond while he fights the charges had been denied repeatedly until this week.

charity, fundraising, Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, Hamas

UN Says Ceasefire is Vital to Ensure Aid Delivery to Middle East

Charity News Online

The United Nations has very limited access to deliver aid to Lebanon, and a halt to fighting is crucial to tackling a dramatic humanitarian problem, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said Thursday. "Humanitarian action is based on access, and access is always very limited when a conflict is still going on," Guterres told reporters on a visit to war-scarred Sri Lanka. "For our action, to have an end of the hostilities is of extreme importance."

"It is still a very limited access," he added. "This is a very dramatic humanitarian problem if you compare with other situations, especially taking into consideration the speed of this displacement process."

An estimated 750,000 people have fled their homes in Lebanon in the face of Israeli bombing raids. Guterres said around 200,000 people have left the country, Reuters reports.

United Nations, Antonio Guterres, Lebanon, Israel

Lindsay Lohan Calls on Celebrities to Join her Africa Charity Campaign

Charity News Online

Teenaged actress Lindsay Lohan has called on her friends among celebrities to join her on her charity trip to Africa, Contactmusic reports. The actress will go to Kenya with charity organization The One Foundation to visit local schools and clinics and help draw attention to AIDS and poverty in the East African country.

Lohan can't wait to make a difference and has been ringing around her friends to persuade them to go as well. "I'm really excited because I'm planning a trip to Kenya with The One Foundation. Bono introduced me to it,” she was quoted by Contactmusic, as saying. I'm also trying to get other people on board - in fact, I only just told Kate Bosworth about it last night. I want to set up orphanages for underprivileged and abused children. That's the main thing I'm focusing on in my time off," she added.

Lindsay Lohan, Africa, AIDS, The One Foundation

Oliver Stone’s “WTC” to Share Box Office With 9/11 Charities

Charity News Online

"World Trade Center," Oliver Stone's movie about the rescue of two police officers from the WTC towers on Sept. 11, 2001, will donate 10% of its opening weekend box office receipts to a ground zero memorial and three other Sept. 11-related charities, The Associated Press reports. The Paramount Pictures film, starring Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena as two Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officers trapped for hours in the rubble, opens at more than 2,000 theaters in the U.S. on Aug. 9.

Five percent of the box office proceeds from Aug. 9 through Aug. 13 will be donated to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, which is raising money to build a $510 million memorial to the 2001 terrorist attacks at the trade center site. An additional 5 percent will be split equally between three charities. They are Tuesday's Children, a services organization for children who lost a parent on Sept. 11; The Tribute WTC Visitor Center, a family-run memorial museum scheduled to open this summer; and the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund.

September 11 attacks, World Trade Center , Oliver Stone, World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, Tuesday's Children, Nicholas Cage, Michael Pena

Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s Gown in Charity Auction

Charity News Online

The iconic black gown worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" will be auctioned for charity by Christie Group this year. The gown, designed by Hubert de Givenchy, is expected to fetch $130,000 at the Dec. 5 auction, Christie's said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. Proceeds will benefit City of Joy Aid, a charity that provides relief to impoverished children in India.

In the opening scenes of the movie, Hepburn's character, Holly Golightly, is wearing the gown as she emerges from a taxi with her brown-bag breakfast to ogle diamonds and luxury goods in the storefront windows of Manhattan's Tiffany & Co.

The founders of the charity received the gown as a gift from Givenchy. The Parisian couturier was famous for dressing the most glamorous women of the 1950s and 1960s, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Grace of Monaco. He designed Hepburn's wardrobe for many of her films, including "Sabrina" and "Funny Face," a movie about the French fashion world. He considered Hepburn as his muse, and her willowy frame, long neck and intelligent face became hallmarks of 1960s beauty.

Hepburn won an Academy Award for her performance in 1953's "Roman Holiday," co-starring Gregory Peck. She went on to star in more than 20 films before becoming a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She died in 1993. Her movies remain popular favorites, and the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" dress itself continues to inspire. Givenchy head designer Riccardo Tisci recreated the famous gown's silhouette for the label's 2006 autumn/winter line - including its cutout crescent-shaped back.

Audrey Hepburn, City of Joy Aid, UNICEF, Givenchy, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Christie's, charity, charity auction

German Banks Allowed to Use Sparkasse Name if They Fund Charity Projects

Charity News Online

The government has crafted a compromise in the Sparkasse name debate that would allow private banks to refer to themselves as savings banks provided they use their earnings for charitable causes, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.The government plans to present the new proposal to the European Commission on Monday.

Under current German law, the 'Sparkasse' (savings bank) title can only be used by publicly-owned banks. The Commission has told Germany it must ease this restriction, arguing that it contravenes EU laws on the freedom of establishment and the free movement of capital, as it prevents private banks and investors from benefiting from the "goodwill value" that the Sparkasse name carries.

Under the new proposal, private banks would be allowed to savings banks and retain the 'sparkassen' name, provided they used some or all of their profits for charitable purposes, the newspaper added.

charity, Germany

U.S. NGO Faces Closure In Uzbekistan

Charity News Online

Another U.S. non-governmental organization is facing closure in Uzbekistan, the Interfax news agency reported Friday. The Justice Ministry says Winrock International violated Uzbek legislation by providing legal training to women and inviting experts from Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

Under its current charter, the NGO’s mission in the country is to help Uzbekistan’s farmers.

The Uzbek authorities have forced many Western NGOs to close in recent months.


Uzbekistan , Winrock International

California Governor Schwarzenegger OKs $150M Stem Cell Research Loan

Charity News Online

A day after President Bush vetoed expanded federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday authorized a $150 million loan to fund California's stem cell institute, which has been stalled by lawsuits.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican who has been trying to put distance between himself and the unpopular president as he seeks re-election this year, said the state cannot afford to wait to fund the critical science associated with stem cells, AP reports. "I remain committed to advancing stem cell research in California, in the promise it holds for millions of our citizens who suffer from chronic diseases and injuries that could be helped as a result of stem cell research," Schwarzenegger said in a letter to his finance director.

The state's voters created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in 2004 when they passed a ballot measure that authorized $3 billion over 10 years for stem cell research. Lawyers with ties to anti-abortion and anti-tax groups have sued, arguing that the institute is unconstitutional. On April 21, a Superior Court judge ruled the institute was a legitimate state agency. But if opponents continue to contest the agency in court, they could hold up the institute's financing until at least next year.

Elsewhere, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, announced Thursday that he is diverting $5 million from the state budget for stem cell research, despite repeated objections from state legislators. The money will come out of administrative funds already set aside for the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Blagojevich said.

Embryonic stem cells are building blocks that turn into different types of tissue. Scientists hope to use them someday to regenerate damaged organs or other body parts and cure diseases. Some oppose such research because it entails the destruction of human embryos.


stem cell research, Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Australian Charities Lack Transparency – Report

Charity News Online

Australian charities need to be more transparent in their operations and less reliant on government assistance if they want to continue their financial growth, the 2006 Givewell not-for-profit financing and investing study said. The report revealed that Australia's non-profit organizations received $A1.22 billion ($US914.33 million) in fundraising revenue in 2005, an increase of 44 per cent on the previous year.

This was more than double any increase previously recorded by the research company's study, which examines the annual reports of over 500 non-profit organizations, since it began in 1997.The increase was a result of appeals following the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, with overseas aid organizations the main beneficiaries. The Australian Red Cross registered a 323 per cent increase in gross fundraising revenue in 2005 to $145 million, while Oxfam Community Aid Abroad had a 58 per cent rise to $35 million, AAP reports.

"Although the effect (of the tsunami appeals) is most obvious in the increase in fundraising income ... the surge in donations has also impacted on surpluses, net assets and investments," the report said. Overall, Australia's non-profit organizations continued to experience healthy growth, with an 11 per cent increase in total income to $9.2 billion.

The report, released this week at Ethical Investor's Non-Profit Finance Forum in Sydney, also warned non-profit organizations against relying too much on government assistance, after government funding growth slowed to seven per cent in 2005, down from 11 per cent in 2004.

charity, donation, fundraising

Lebanese Aid Agencies Assist in Evacuation of CIS Citizens from Lebanon – Russia

Charity News Online

About 40 citizens of the post-Soviet republics rather than Russia have been evacuated from Lebanon to Cyprus, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Beirut told the Russian news agencies Interfax.

He said that Lebanese charity groups had provided assistance to Russian authorities in the evacuation of those people. "All Russians wishing to leave Lebanon, who managed to reach the embassy, have been evacuated through Syria," the embassy official said.

charity, Lebanon

UK Charity Islamic Relief Pledges Support to Lebanon Refugees


Charity News Online

The Birmingham-based charity Islamic Relief is trying to raise £4m for the displaced in Lebanon. The charity plans to concentrate on providing food and medicines to those who have been affected by the conflict.

Nine days of violence has claimed the lives of 300 people in Lebanon and 29 in Israel that started after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers, the BBC reports. The Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora said 500,000 people had been displaced in the attacks.

charity, Islamic Relief, Lebanon, Hezbollah

World Leaders Donate Items for Charity Auction

Charity News Online

An online auction has been launched this week on www.ebay.com.sg/worldleadersauction, with proceeds going to charity. Among the items put up for sale are the pen donated by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and a bottle of red wine from Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Each item will go for a minimum of 99 US dollars with bidding closing July 24, organizers said. A total of 11 items from world leaders past and present would be offered at the auction launched in Singapore Friday by charity group Youth Challenge, AFP reported.

They include a signed photograph of Israel's former prime minister Ariel Sharon and an autographed copy of "Ethics for the New Millennium" by the Dalai Lama, as well as a framed portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a silver-pewter vase donated by Cambodia's former king Norodom Sihanouk and a religious artefact from Mexican President Vicente Fox.

Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien sent in a signed photograph, while Blair gave up a silver and black Parker pen with his signature on it. A set of three gold-plated medallions commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, the 80th anniversary of the Balkan Wars and the 50th anniversary of World War II were also on offer, donated by former Greek president Konstantinos Stephanopoulos.

This was the first time world leaders had parted with personal belongings to be auctioned for charity, said Vincent Lam, founder and executive president of Youth Challenge Singapore. Proceeds from the auction would go to the newly launched World Humanitarian Fund to support development projects in Mongolia, China and Zimbabwe, he said. "We realised that there have been so many auctions of celebrity items but none of the world leaders," Lam said. Next year, Youth Challenge planned to hold an auction of Asian leaders' personal items.


charity auction, Tony Blair, Vladimir Putin, Youth Challenge Singapore

Web Artists Join Efforts to Create Million Pound Painting in Charity Bid

Charity News Online

A million pieces of art will be merged to create a single painting via the internet to raise money for charity. The One Million Masterpiece website invites people to paint or draw a picture using their mouse. Each person will be charged £3.50 to contribute - the project hopes to raise £3.5m for charities including Oxfam and Save the Children and Action Aid, the BBC reported Friday.

Contributors can choose which charity their donation is given, with the World Cancer Research Fund and the WWF also set to benefit. Users have to register and will be given tips on how to create the image they want. They can amend their creation at any time and also view other people's work.

Singer Holly Johnson and playwright Tom Stoppard are among those taking part in the project, which launches on 15 July. The final giant canvas, measuring 80m by 31m will be unveiled at a major London landmark in July 2007. Organizers say the canvas will be the largest work of collaborative art produced and will be recognized in the Guinness Book of Records.

"This project is about using the power of the internet to bring people together using a universal language," said One Million Masterpiece artistic director and founder, Paul Fisher. "This picture will tell one million... personal stories, highlighting both the diversity and similarity of people from around the world," he added.

charity, donation, fundraising, World Cancer Research Fund, WWF

Donor Confidence Shaken Following Charity Scandal in Singapore – Report

Charity News Online

A scandal at Singapore's largest charity last year has shaken public confidence in charities and made donors more wary of how they give money, a newspaper reported Friday. Citing surveys, The Straits Times said the proportion of people who donated money for causes last year fell to 89 percent from 97 percent in 2004.

Total donations dropped from 438 million Singapore dollars in 2004 to US$215 million in the past 12 months, according to the surveys on individual giving commissioned by Singapore's National Volunteer and Philanthropy Center. Of 1,803 survey respondents, some 55 percent said they had a lot of confidence in charities before the controversy at the National Kidney Foundation, while only 28 percent did afterward, The Straits Times reported.

T.T. Durai, the former chief executive of the National Kidney Foundation, resigned in disgrace last year after court revelations about the charity's spending habits and his salary led to a rare public outcry in a nation that prides itself on good corporate governance. He also admitted overstating the number of kidney dialysis patients in Singapore in an apparent bid to garner more donations, AP reported.

Some 20 percent of respondents said the scandal at the foundation - as well as a controversy at the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped - left them with little or no confidence in charities, according to survey results. The percentage was just 6 percent before the scandals.

charity, charity fraud, donation, donor confidence

UN Agency Warns of Food Aid Shortages for Chechen Refugees

Charity News Online

Already obliged for lack of funds to cut the number of displaced Chechens it supports and drastically reduce rations, WFP has warned that it will have to halt its Chechnya operation entirely in three months unless fresh pledges are made soon. “From October, we will have absolutely nothing left to distribute,” said Koryun Alaverdyan, WFP’s Deputy Country Director in the Russian Federation. “The people we seek to assist are the poorest survivors of the Chechen conflict.”

The UN agency has mobilized just 28 percent of the US$22 million it needs to feed 250,000 Chechens during 2006. They include 130,000 primary school children in Chechnya and 27,000 Chechens displaced by the conflict, living in the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia.

The conflict in Chechnya, which began in September 1999, forced many people to flee into neighboring regions, and a still precarious security situation has prevented most from returning home. Of the 39,000 who have returned since 2004, many live in dire conditions, struggling to survive amidst the devastation, high unemployment and escalating poverty.

WFP provides food aid through soup kitchens for orphans, the disabled and the elderly in Grozny, the Chechen capital. It also supports food-for-work projects, whereby participants are paid in food to rehabilitate agricultural and other infrastructure. Other activities include food-for-training schemes to teach marketable skills to displaced Chechens, and food-for-education programmes for primary school children.

United Nations, Chechnya, World Food Program

Charity Boss Lied in Bid for U.S. Grant

Charity News Online

A prominent charity boss famed for his work in Africa lied about his qualifications when attempting to apply for a multi million grant in the United States, Irish Independent reports. Mike Meegan has admitted he got his doctorate from Knightsbridge University which trades from a Danish post office box.

Meegan is a former International Man of the Year (2003) for his work as the head of a charity called Icross in Africa. However, events that same year led to an audit being ordered by the development arm of the US government into the financial affairs of Icross Kenya.

Former FBI consultant and 'degree mills' expert, Dr John Bear, said: "Knightsbridge most emphatically is not licensed or recognized by the Danish government (or any other government on Earth), and its degrees are as useless in Denmark as they are in Ireland or anywhere else.

"It is my belief that if 'Dr' Meegan were to call himself "Doctor" (in person, in a speech, or a letter) in New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon, Texas, and the various other such states, he would be committing a criminal offence, subject to fine and even, in some places, imprisonment."

Earlier this year, Meegan received an honorary degree from the National University of Ireland for his "services to humanity".

charity, Africa

British Banks Back Plans to Establish Charity Bank

Charity News Online

The UK banking community welcomed a government-led proposal to set up a "social investment bank" that would reinvest unclaimed assets lying dormant in banks and building societies into the community, but shareholder groups warned more needed to be done first to track down the owners of the funds.

The government-led Commission on Unclaimed Assets launched a formal consultation paper Wednesday in which it proposed to set up an independent financial institution to channel unclaimed funds to charities and community organizations in the form of equity investment, bonds and financial advice, The Guardian reported.

The banks, whose unclaimed assets are usually added into their annual profit and loss account, broadly supported the plan. The British Bankers' Association said it welcomed the consultation paper "as a valuable contribution to the debate on how unclaimed assets could be reinvested in the community". But Tim Marshall, managing director of the Shareholder Partnership, which tracks down individuals whose funds are dormant, said: "We think that turning over the money is great, but there needs to be a more proactive attitude to finding the people involved."

A spokesman for the commission said consumers would be able to reclaim their assets at any time, even after they had been reinvested. He said a number of initiatives were being examined to locate people. "More people than before are going to get in touch with the money they lost as a result of our initiative." The consultation period is expected to last until the end of the year, with a draft proposal possible before March 2007.

charity

Elton John to Perform at Fashion Rocks, Proceeds to Benefit Singer’s AIDs Foundation

Charity News Online

Elton John will perform at the third "Fashion Rocks" concert, which will kick off New York Fashion Week in September. Proceeds will benefit the singer’s AIDS foundation. The concert will be held Sept. 7 at Radio City Music Hall, AP reported Wednesday. Other performers will include Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Jamie Foxx, Nelly Furtado, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, the Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Scissor Sisters, Kanye West and Daddy Yankee. Fashion segments will be included in the show.

charity, Elton John, AIDS

U.S. Skier Bode Miller Will Play Baseball for Cancer Charity Cause

Charity News Online

Bode Miller, the U.S. downhill skiing star who showed such promise at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002 before flopping grandly in 2006 in Torino, will now try his hand at baseball. Miller has signed a one-game contract to play for the Nashua Pride of the independent CanAm League, ESPN reports.

The team will donate at least $5,000 from ticket sales from the game, due on July 29, to Miller's Turtle Ridge Foundation, which will in turn give the money to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

In a statement released by the team, Miller said: "I have just started my foundation over the last several months, and to be able to play professional baseball and have my foundation in some small way help the Lance Armstrong Foundation in its fight against cancer, it's going to be an awesome day."

Bode Miller, Lance Armstrong Foundation , cancer, charity

British Banks Wary of Govt Plans to Use Unclaimed Accounts for Charity

Charity News Online

Leading financial institutions in Great Britain voiced concerned over the Commission on Unclaimed Assets’ plans to create a “social investment bank”, that is to be funded with unclaimed accounts, to help finance charitable and voluntary projects.

Several major banks and building society trade bodies said Tuesday they had "an open mind" but also reservations about the plan to use of dormant bank funds for charity, Scotsman reports. A spokesman for the Building Societies Association said: "The latest consultation is a welcome addition to the debate. But we are working with our members to ensure as many people as possible are reunited with their money. We must remember that this money does not belong to the building society, the government or charity. It belongs to individuals."

The British Bankers Association said: "We are open-minded and are looking forward to seeing what reaction the report gets." The BSA said it was important a differentiation was made between purely "dormant accounts", which had just not been used for many years, and savings that were "lost" through death or moving away. One leading bank said: "Only funds that are totally deemed lost, as opposed to dormant, should be included for charitable work."

charity

Ex Gay Porn Producer Sues Jackson For 3.8 Million Over 9/11 Charity Single

Charity News Online

Michael Jackson is facing a lawsuit filed by his former associate claiming pay for producing a benefit recording for victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Jackson had tried to fire F. Marc Schaffel after learning the associate once directed gay porn movies, according to the entertainer's former lawyer, Zia Modabber. Modabber testified Monday that he broke the news to Jackson about Schaffel's background, showing him a video of Schaffel at an adult film shoot.

"I think he didn't want to believe it was real or true," said Modabber, according to The Associated Press report. "He appeared angry, upset." Jackson called Schaffel and told him he was off the charity project, said Schaffel, who also took the stand Monday. Jackson is being sued by Schaffel for $3.8 million (all figures U.S.) for what Schaffel says are unrepaid loans and expenses, and unpaid salary for work on the charity record called "What More Can I Give."

Zia Modabber also told the court Tuesday that he tried to persuade a Japanese company not to negotiate with the fired associate of the pop star for rights to a charity recording, but the company proceeded anyway with efforts to acquire the song and stage a concert tour.

Zia Modabber said that when he learned of Schaffel's contacts with the company, Music Fighters, his first concern "was to find out who they were and whether they were legitimate people to negotiate with. I never got to the bottom of it." He testified Monday that Schaffel at one point collected $900,000 from Music Fighters, but the company essentially received nothing, AP reported Tuesday.

Michael Jackson, 9/11 attacks, charity

Charity Bank is Planned in UK

Charity News Online

A government-backed group is set to announce plans of establishing a new financial institution using billions of pounds of "orphan assets", which could help charities operating in some of Britain's poorest communities, The Guardian wrote Tuesday. The Commission on Unclaimed Assets, set up last December with the backing of Gordon Brown, believes that a fund of at least £400m and possibly several billion pounds should be made available for groups working to tackle poverty to buy IT services or financial advice. The plan is expected to be unveiled this week.

The proposals follow six months of consultation by the commission, which is headed by Sir Ronald Cohen, chairman of private equity house Apax Partners. The commission is expected to say further consultation is needed to flesh out the proposals and tackle technical issues. Banks have argued for years that unclaimed - or orphan - assets should be reclaimed, though suggestions that the banks should keep the money have proved controversial. Estimates of the level of unclaimed assets held by the banks vary, but some suggest as much as £16bn lies untouched.

Last December the Treasury backed the idea for a commission to examine how best to use the funds. Evidence that government initiatives were not tackling extreme poverty and a widening gap in wealth persuaded the commission that charities operating in these areas should be the main beneficiaries of the orphan assets.

The plan is based on the Local Initiative Support Corporation in the US, which provides financial advice and funds to community groups and charities. The commission is understood to believe that the "social investment bank" should have its own governance and be independent of control by ministers. Orphan assets must be unclaimed for at least 15 years before being used, according to the commission.

charity

British Charity Group Accused of Sending Drugs Classed As Waste to Africa

Charity News Online

A charity group has been banned from sending surplus life-saving drugs to Africa and threatened with prosecution. Leicester-based Intercare has been supplying 94 clinics in seven countries with medicines that have been returned to GPs, as part of measures approved by the World Health Organization, Mirror.co.uk reported Tuesday. But the Environment Agency has ruled that under EC rules the drugs are classed as waste. Intercare chief executive, Dr Margaret Macdonald, branded it "ludicrous red tape". The Environment Agency claimed the drugs were often not sorted and much was unsuitable.

charity, Africa, World Health Organization

Harry Potter Creator Awarded Degree for Aiding Multiple Sclerosis Research

Charity News Online

JK Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter series, was awarded an honorary degree from the Aberdeen University for her contribution towards multiple sclerosis research. The author's mother died aged just 45 from MS in 1990.

Rowling, who is currently president of the MS Society Scotland, has helped fund a program of research at the University's Institute of Medical Sciences into the debilitating condition. MS is a condition of the central nervous system that impairs the brain's ability to transmit instructions to the muscles.

"As the patron of the MS Society Scotland, and someone with personal experience of the devastating effects of MS," Rowling said at the ceremony, "it is a great privilege to be able to help the Institute continue its pioneering work into the causes and effects of multiple sclerosis."


Rowling, Harry Potter , multiple sclerosis , charity

British Charity Worker Stabbed in U.S. Trying to Protect Friend

Charity News Online

A London charity worker was stabbed to death in Washington DC as he tried to protect a female friend from being sexually assaulted by muggers.

Alan Senitt, a former member of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and a Labour candidate in Edgware in the May elections, had moved to work in the US capital just two weeks ago, Scotsman reports.

As the 27-year-old walked home with a woman friend in the early hours on Sunday, they were confronted by four muggers who demanded all their cash and belongings. A row followed and Senitt was stabbed. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards. Two men, a youth and a woman have been charged with murder. One of the men was also charged with intention to commit sexual assault.

Alan Senitt's grief-stricken family said he was "a champion of peace and goodwill" who worked to promote Muslim-Jewish relations around the world. Lord Janner described him as "bright, hard-working and outstanding".

Box Veteran Frazier Returns to Ring for Charity

Charity News Online

Joe Frazier is stepping into the ring again against the mayor of Memphis for a fundraiser involving a local charity. The three-round bout between the 62-year-old boxer and 65-year-old Mayor Willie Herenton is set for Nov. 30 at the Peabody Hotel and expected to raise $100,000 for the Shelby County Drug Court, an alternative program for nonviolent adult offenders with drug charges, AP reports.

"I'm not taking this event lightly," said Herenton, a former amateur boxing champ who plans to train for the fight with the help of city police officers. Herenton bragged about his skills at a news conference: "My hands move so fast, they scare me sometimes." Frazier makes special appearances regularly for charity but doesn't step into the ring. Herenton said he's not making any predictions about who will win but promised: "You're going to see a good senior citizen who has a great array of skills. You're gonna see skills."

charity, Joe Frazier

Jordan Suspends Board of Leading Islamist Charity

Charity News Online

Jordan’s prosecutor general has suspended the board running the Moslem Brotherhood’s main charity ahead of taking over control of the financial arm of the country’s largest opposition party, officials said on Monday. The move comes after a cabinet decision last Wednesday to refer the Islamic Charity Society to the public prosecutor to start an investigation into alleged financial irregularities, according to a reported by Reuters news agency.

The government minister in charge of supervising private charities, Suleiman Tarawneh, told the state news agency Petra the central bank has “revoked the authorizations of the board in any financial transaction and a new temporary executive board would be appointed in the next few days to run the charity”. A decision to close the charity would mark the toughest crackdown on the Islamist movement, the kingdom’s largest opposition group, since the government got tough over the Muslim Brotherhood’s stance against a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

The charity, which runs a wide network of welfare centers across the country with more than $1 billion worth of assets, is seen by officials as the financial arm of the Islamists. It dispenses millions of dollars of aid to needy Jordanians that officials say is behind the influence of the Islamists. But officials say private donations are improperly used to finance the Brotherhood’s growing political role.

Much of the Islamist’s popularity has stemmed from its provision of services funded through charities as well as its opposition to peace with Israel and a vocal criticism of government corruption. Jordan’s close ties with the United States and its 1994 peace deal with Israel are unpopular with many in the kingdom. The Islamist Action Front (IAF), the Brotherhood’s political arm with 17 deputies in the 110-member assembly, has called for sweeping political reforms, including an elected government and changes in an electoral law that works against their chances of gaining political control.


charity, charity fraud, Muslim Brotherhood

EU Urges UK to End Discrimination Against Foreign Charities

Charity News Online

The European Commission has formally requested the United Kingdom to amend domestic laws that affect the submission of donations to foreign charities. Currently, the UK allows tax relief for gifts to charities, but only when they are established in the country itself. Charities in other EU countries are excluded from this relief and the commission considers this as discriminatory and in breach of EU laws, AFX reports. The request comes in the form of a 'reasoned opinion'. The United Kingdom has two months to provide a reply, otherwise it may face court action.

charity, European Union

Prince William Runs in 1-mile Charity Event

Charity News Online

Prince William joined mothers and fellow military officers and a cadre of Ghurkas at the Sandhurst military academy on Saturday for a 1-mile (1.6 kilometer) charity fundraising run. William, 24, is second in line to the throne. He is currently training at the elite military academy. His younger brother Harry just graduated from the same school. More than 1,000 people took part in the run, including a unit of Ghurkas - Nepalese troops who serve in the British Army. The run was raising money for programs to help disadvantaged youth, AP reported.

Prince William, charity

FIFA Reports Record Fundraising for Children’s Villages Charity

Charity News Online

Even before the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ champion became known this Sunday, FIFA officials declared one big winner at Germany 2006 – the SOS Children’s Villages project.

Over the past week the charity’s joint campaign with FIFA - '6 villages for 2006' – raised over 20 million euros for the cause, while the stated aim was 18 million. These funds will be used for construction of six new SOS Children's Villages - one each in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Ukraine and Vietnam.

“Our goal was 18 million Euros,” Federico Addiechi, FIFA’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility told FIFAworldcup.com, “but the fact we are guaranteed to raise over 21 million is clearly a very good result. We’re all delighted, and obviously a big thank you goes out to everyone who helped make this possible.

“The ‘6 Villages for 2006’ campaign started at the end of 2003 and I can say without doubt that it is the most ambitious charitable initiative ever attached to a World Cup. Clearly, it is an excellent cause and, as well as raising money, I also hope and believe that we have increased awareness among those watching and taking part in the tournament.”

At the moment, more than 59,000 children and youths are receiving care in a family environment at one of the 438 SOS Children’s Villages and 346 SOS Youth Facilities spread worldwide over 132 countries and territories. FIFA’s association with the charity now stretches back over 11 years and, in the time since, over 60 of the world’s most prominent footballers, including Andriy Shevchenko, Ruud van Nistelrooij and Fabio Cannavaro, have become ‘FIFA for SOS Children's Villages’ Ambassadors.

FIFA, World Cup, charity, fundraising, Andriy Shevchenko , Ruud van Nistelrooij , Fabio Cannavaro

Nicole Kidman Designs T-Shirts to Help Breast Cancer Charity

Charity News Online

Newlywed Hollywood star Nicole Kidman has joined The Little Tee Campaign uniting celebrities seeking to help the Breast Cancer Care charity in the UK. The actress has turned a fashion designer and is now busy customizing T-shirts with her own inspirational designs.

The cause is close to the heart of the Australian-born actress – when she was a child her mother successfully battled breast cancer.Other celebrities to join the campaign include Sienna Miller, Sharon Osbourne and Charlotte Church.

The designs go on sale in UK this week.

Nicole Kidman, breast cancer, charity, Sienna Miller

Jordan Probes Alleged Wrongdoings by Muslim Brotherhood Charity

Charity News Online

Jordan's prosecutor general has launched a probe into alleged financial irregularities at the main charity of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood. A decision to close the charity would mark the toughest crackdown on the Islamist movement, the kingdom's largest opposition group, since the government got tough over the Muslim Brotherhood's stance against a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, Reuters said.

Officials allege the charity, now scrutinized by official auditors, finances the political activities of the Muslim Brotherhood. "The council of ministers ordered the prosecutor to look into the report compiled by government auditors into the violations of the Islamic Center Charity," an official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Under head of state King Abdullah II, Jordan is a pro-Western, moderate Arab state. It is a relatively open, secular society. The charity, which runs a countrywide network of welfare centers with more than a billion dollars worth of assets, dispenses millions of dollars of aid to poor Jordanians — activity that officials say is behind the popular appeal of the Islamists.

"The (prosecutor general's) move is aimed at undermining the Islamist movement," said Jamil Abu Baker, deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood. The government, headed by former intelligence chief Marouf Bakheet, has been alarmed by the Muslim Brotherhood's more vocal approach since the militant Hamas group swept to power in Palestinian elections in January.

charity, charity fraud, Muslim Brotherhood

55-Year-Old Steel King Mittal Thinks He is Too Young for Charity

Charity News Online

While the world's richest people, including the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, pledge their fortunes to charitable causes, 55-year-old India-born steel magnate Lakshmi Niwas Mittal feels he is "too young for charity".

"I am still very young, Warren Buffett is very elderly to me," he said when asked if he had any plans to follow the footsteps of the illustrious investor, who recently announced a donation of 37 billion dollars to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Addressing his first media conference in India after the successful takeover of rival Arcelor, Mittal said he would have to work a few more years before thinking of getting into philanthropy.

According to the Fortune's list of richest people in the world, London-based Mittal is ranked fifth with a net worth of 23.5 billion dollars.

Lakshmi Mittal, charity, Warren Buffett , Bill Gates

Madonna's Charity Project Comes Under Criticism Over Kabbalah Link

Charity News Online

Pop legend Madonna has been known to contribute to charity but some critics allege that there’s more to the cause than what appears initially.

In her Confessions Tour, the Swept Away star has been promoting a charity called Raising Malawi, which, according to its website, “helps the orphaned children of that disease-ravaged African nation.”

The charity was founded by the co-director of the Kabbalah Centre, the trendy religion some theologians publicly say is akin to Scientology, both religions many label as cults. The charity’s board is heavy with people tied to the controversial religion and it proposes to help the orphans through the “empowering principles” of Spirituality for Kids, Newsweek reports.

“Spirituality For Kids is an organization that was started by the Kabbalah Centre,” Madonna explains. “It gives children the tools to deal with life’s challenges. My daughter is learning about her ego and how to control it. Who’d have thought a child could learn that?”

Madonna, charity, Africa, Kabbalah

EasyJet Urges Passengers to Donate Change for Leukemia Charity Cause

Charity News Online

The budget airline easyJet announced this week it will ask passengers to donate their loose change to a cause it has named "charity of the year". Cash collected by cabin crew on flights throughout the summer could help save the lives of people waiting for bone marrow transplants.

The Anthony Nolan Trust matches bone marrow donors with leukemia patients in need of transplants. As the donations are to come from passengers flying to and from destinations in Europe, the charity has now teamed up with other bone marrow registers in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, Community Newswire said in a report.

The trust intends to use the proceeds from its partnership with easyJet to raise awareness across Europe of the urgent need for more bone marrow donors, and hopes to sign another 5,000 people on to the register. EasyJet's chief executive, Andrew Harrison, joined cabin crew members and the Anthony Nolan Trust's corporate fundraising manager, Michelle Lane, to launch the initiative today at Luton Airport.

EasyJet staff voted to make the Anthony Nolan Trust the airline's charity partner this year and have so far raised more than £50,000 through campaigns. Staff have also volunteered to become bone marrow donors. Since 1974, the Anthony Nolan Trust has saved the lives of more than 4,000 people who have not been able to find a bone marrow match from a relative.

charity, easyJet, leukemia

Terror Funds, Dirty Money Flow Through Charities – Report

Charity News Online

Illegally derived proceeds and funds marked for terrorists are now flowing through non-traditional channels like casinos and even charity foundations, a money laundering watchdog said Thursday.
"Casinos today are not only the physical buildings you can walk into and make a bet ... there is also Internet betting," said Australia’s Federal Police Commissioner and co-chairman of the Asia-Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering Mick Keelty during the group’s 9th annual gathering hosted by the Philippines, Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

Money laundering is the act of converting or transferring and concealing cash or other property derived from criminal activities and making it appear as it comes from a legitimate source. Casinos and charity foundations are more often used for the purpose.

Eliot Kennedy of the APG Secretariat said four out of nine special recommendations promulgated during the APG meetings focused on methods used to finance terrorism. These include the use of alternative remittance systems ... such as cash couriers, non-profit organizations, charities, and a number of wire transfers, Kennedy said.

APG, which complements the efforts of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force on money laundering in the Asia-Pacific region, was officially established in 1997 during a regional forum on dirty money in Bangkok.

charity, money laundering , terrorism

Blind Mission Charity Pins Hopes on Legendary Pele’s Support

Charity News Online

The head of Irish charity Christian Blind Mission is to meet football legend Pele ahead of the World Cup final in Germany to plan a series of concerts to raise funds. David McAllister, director of CBM Ireland, is hoping to discuss how the world cup winner can assist the charity in its work for people with disabilities all over the world, including Brazil, Ireland Online reports.

Events are being planned across Europe for later in the year and it is hoped one will be held in Ireland which Pele will attend. It is the second time the pair have met after Pele was taken on a tour of several CBM projects for deaf and blind children in San Paolo.

“Pele was very impressed with the work we do in Brazil,” Mr McAllister said. “He met and spoke with some of the deaf children who attend the Instituto Santa Teresinha.” The Instituto Santa Teresinha is supported by both CBM and the Fundacao Altina Ventura, a Brazilian charity organization that runs eye hospitals and outreach programmes in the state of Pernambuco. We will be working on the details and hope that Pele will also attend the event,” Mr McAllister said. “It’s a great plus to have Pele on our team, he is an internationally renowned figure and we are very grateful for his support, and that of [his wife] Assiria.”

CBM is a medical charity that works to cure blindness, deafness and other disabilities worldwide. It does this through medical intervention, education and rehabilitation, emergency relief and training, research, advocacy and awareness creation.


charity, Pele, Christian Blind Mission, FIFA World Cup

Children’s Charity Fraudster Walks Free

Charity News Online

The parents of two blind children in Great Britain were outraged as they learned that a man who embezzled charity cash was given community service. Club entertainer Thomas "Tam" Harris was hired to perform at charity shows to raise cash for the Saul and Savannah-Rose Fraser Trust. The four-year-olds suffer from the rare infantile Battens disease - an incurable deterioration of the brain and nervous system.

But after the gigs, 62-year old Harris failed to hand over the money raised to the parents of the youngsters, who are now blind and bed-ridden in their Dundee home. Harris, whose former band was called Bad Pennies and who had a Top 10 hit in Australia, appeared at the city's sheriff court Thursday, Daily Record News reports. The performer, of Finavon Place, Dundee, admitted embezzling £1000 between October 30 and December 31, 2004, at four venues in the city while playing with his band, Freddie And The Stars. He was sentenced to 150 hours of community service and ordered to repay £1000 plus £75 in interest.

But the twins' mother Alana, 34, blasted Sheriff GrantMcCulloch. She said: "I am so angry that the sheriff let him off and believed his sad story. I'm totally shocked by how he's got off. It is a bad joke. We're just back from the USA where the twins were being treated and we could be doing without this stress."

The court heard how Harris had volunteered to promote the charity and collected £1000. But when the founders approached him for the money, he admitted that he had "stupidly" taken £1000 from the kids' fund. He claimed he had only borrowed it to pay his band and that he had every intention of repaying it.

charity,charity fraud,Battens disease

Bank of America Boosts Charitable Spending

Charity News Online

Bank of America has increased its charitable donations in New England. When the North Carolina-based bank bought FleetBoston Financial two years ago, some feared that local nonprofit groups would lose out.

Instead, Bank of America increased New England giving to 15.2 million dollars in 2005 - an 18 percent increase over 2003, a Boston Globe review said. Donations in Massachusetts rose ten percent, to 9.3 million dollars.

The donations are significant because Fleet was one of the region's most generous businesses, funding groups such as the Museum of Fine Arts and the United Way, AP reported.

Bank of America, charity, donation

Lloyd Webber to Sell $60 Million Picasso Painting for Charity

Charity News Online

Andrew Lloyd Webber plans to sell a Picasso masterpiece, which could make $60 million that would go to charitable causes, the BBC reported. "The sale of my Picasso masterpiece may not be a Warren Buffett, but hopefully be a mini-buffet," Webber told the BBC, referring to Buffett's recent decision to donate the bulk of his $42 billion fortune to five charitable foundations.

Lloyd Webber bought Picasso's portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto in 1995 for $33 million. "If the picture sells successfully, it will be fantastic to have a charitable fighting fund with the freedom to support other excellent causes, particularly in the theater and music worlds. I am passionate about the training and education of young performers," Lloyd Webber added.

The painting of Angel Fernandez De Soto dates back to the early 20th century and is expected to make up to $60 million at an auction at Christie's, London, in November.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Warren Buffet, donation, fundraising

UN Food Agency Renews Appeal for Donations to War-torn Afghanistan

Charity News Online

Facing a shortfall of more than a third in requested aid for Afghanistan, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has renewed its urgent appeal to donors to come up with “critical” additional funding to finance its activities for the rest of the year. “Without new donations, WFP will be forced to cancel plans to pre-position 40,000 tons of food ahead of Afghanistan’s winter months,” United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Kabul, the capital, Monday.

“This will leave many of the most remote and food insecure communities in northern, north-eastern, central, western and southern provinces without assistance until spring,” he added, noting that WFP needs $25 million to make up for a shortfall of 39,000 tons out of a total requirement of 110,000 tons until the end of the year.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that the adult literacy program it launched earlier this year in western Afghanistan is now being expanded into the three eastern provinces of Nuristan, Kunar and Nangarhar. Over 5,600 women will benefit from literacy classes across the three provinces. To date over 27,000 people have already enrolled and it is hoped that the program will reach over 160,000 adults across Afghanistan this year, the majority of them women.

With adult literacy rates estimated at just 43 percent, and just 14 per cent for women, the “program is vital for improving social and economic circumstances for thousands of families,” Mr. Edwards said. There are an estimated 8 million illiterate adults in Afghanistan. The joint programme has set itself the goal of increasing literacy levels by 50 per cent over the next three years.

United Nations, Afghanistan, donation, fundraising

Giant Chocolate Bar Unveiled to Raise Charity Donations

Charity News Online

A giant chocolate bar, believed to be the world's largest, has been unwrapped, while Singapore's biggest chocolate montage has gone on sale for charity. Weighing 2.668 tons, it is possibly the world's largest chocolate bar, CNA reports. This record-breaking attempt has been submitted to the Guinness Book of Records and is awaiting confirmation. The current record stands at 2.28 tonnes. The chocolate bar by Nestle Singapore will be on display at Plaza Singapura till July 16.

Also on display is Singapore's largest chocolate montage - featuring the logo of the President's Challenge Fund. It was formed by students from Temasek Secondary School by piecing together some 10,000 boxes of chocolates. These will now be sold to the public to help beneficiaries of the fund. Esther Lee, Teacher, Temasek Secondary School, said, "We're looking forward to raising the $25,000 for President's Challenge Fund...The montage is done but the $25,000...we still got a while to go."

The organizers (Nestle Singapore) will donate $25,000 from the sale proceeds to the President's Challenge Fund.

charity, donation,President’s Challenge , Nestle

Ex-Savage Garden Singer Darren Hayes Offers HIV Charity Downloand

Charity News Online

Former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes offers a free download of ‘Unlovable’ at his website and wants fans who download the song to donate to the charity Positive Kids.The special acoustic version of the song is not available in stores and Hayes is asking fans who wish to take the song to donate $1.00 or more to Positive Kids. Positive Kids funds Camp Goodtime, an organization which supports HIV positive children. All proceeds from the downloads will go directly to the charity.

Darren Hayes, AIDS,charity, donation