Working to Give: Philanthropies & Philanthropic Work

Poking fun at controversy is often good for business, as a Pennsylvania candy maker has just discovered. Making fun of the Patriots’ “Deflategate” scandal, Sarris Candies of Canonsburg just auctioned off a deflated chocolate football.

As Sarris said on Friday, “What started out as an internal little joke ended up picking up momentum and excitement. It’s going to a good cause, so that’s the best thing.” He originally posted the football on Facebook as a joke and didn’t intend to sell it.

He named the ball the Bradie ball (in reference to Tom Brady but with a different spelling so as not to get into trouble). The Facebook caption read, “Net weight 13 lbs … Oops! We meant 11.2 lbs.”

Richard Bazzy spent $5,000 on the package which included the deflated chocolate, two regular shaped chocolate footballs and two chocolate helmets. In total, $20,000 was given to the Dollar Enery Fund which provides utility help for poor residents. As Bazzy said, “It doesn’t get any better when you can poke fun at an AFC rival while knowing that you are also helping families in need. We expect to display the football in one of our dealerships with pride.”

Adam Sandoval is on a mission. He’s got his Harley Davidson and his dog, Scooter, at his side and he’s going to stop at every Harley Davidson dealership in the United States this year. That’s 696 stops – all to raise money for kids who have lost parents at war.

As he said, “I never was a soldier, I never served. Always wanted to, and I regret never serving.”

So now, as a way to give back, he’s giving 100% of the money that he raises to the cause. As he said, “That’s my donation, my time my energy…I’m paying for the campaign. Everybody else is paying for money to help the kids, and together we’re doing something that I’m very proud of.”

He said, “Everything I live on fits on a motorcycle. And I’m richer than I’ve ever been in my life.”

Read more about Adam and follow his journey as he crosses the country.

A staggering $850,000 was raised last weekend to support research, education, clinical staff and patient support services at the Hoag Hospital. The Foundation’s 48th annual Christmas Carol Ball included over 520 people who came to the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa in Dana Point on December 6th. The event included live music, auctions, food and even a performance by figure skaters on an ice rink that was set up inside the ballroom.

The event chairs, Tracy and Roger Kiwan, in a note on the Hoag Hospital Foundation website wrote,

“Tracy and I are honored to be serving as Chairs for the 48th Annual Christmas Carol Ball, benefiting Hoag. In considering attending the 48th Annual Christmas Carol Ball, please know this is not only a special way to celebrate the holiday season, it’s an opportunity for us all to show our support for Hoag, one of our treasured community assets. As health care delivery continues to evolve, community support is more important than ever to assist Hoag in remaining an innovative health care leader.  Should you be considering underwriting this lovely event, please note that all gifts of $10,552 or above can be designated to the Hoag institute or area of your choice. Thank you in advance for your support of Hoag. Your participation will make an impact on the success of this year’s event.”

In a fascinating new study, Chattanoogans came out as extremely generous. The study of tax filings released Monday showed that Chattanoogans on average donated at least 50% more of their disposable income to charities and religious groups than did the typical American.

Those in Chattanooga think there are easy explanations, but it’s still a bit of a mystery why these numbers are what they are. As Pete Cooper, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga said, “Chattanooga is a generous town and continues with a culture of giving from people of all income levels. Among the wealthy, there has long been a philosophy of charitable giving which helped establish some of the state’s biggest foundations here decades ago. But among low- and middle-income families there is also a commitment to giving because I think our citizens recognize the needs around them and they understand where their gifts go and help out.”

As Eva Dillard, president of the Chattanooga United Way said, “Obviously, during the recession, we had some struggles but Chattanooga has always been known for its philanthropy. Even people that don’t have a lot of money here are willing to give what they can to help others who have less or are in some need. We’ve found as we grow the engagement of people with our work, our giving goes up.”

In general, the highest share of income is donated in Utah and in the South. The least charitable states were New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. The Chronicle report, that looked at IRS returns, found that Americans who earn $200,000 or more actually reduced their giving by 4.6% from 2006 to 2012. Those earning less than $100,000, however, increased their charitable giving by 4.5% in the same period.