Penn State Coach’s Family to Donate $1.5 of Pension to Charity

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By DouglasPosted In: EducationTagged: , , ,

Joe Paterno coached at Penn State for 61 years, earning a state pension of $13.4 million. His widow, Sue, recently revealed that she will receive a bit more than $10 million, while the rest of the fund will be paid out over the next few years.

Spokesman Dan McGinn also revealed the family’s plans to donate $1.5 million to charities associated with Penn State or State College areas.

Paterno, a Hall of Famer, became Penn State’s top earner when he received a compensation package of $1.02 million from the university last year. The family explained, however, that the formula used to calculate the pension could not account for more than a $240,000 salary.

Though Paterno led Penn State to two national titles, the coach’s compensation was nowhere near as impressive as those of other famous college football coaches. Nick Saban of Alabama makes over $4.6 million a year, for example.

“Financial gain was never Coach Paterno’s top priority,” said McGinn. “He believed he was fortunate to work with great young men at one of the country’s premier academic institutions.”

He added that the Paternos have donated more than $9 million to Penn State, as well as to various non-profits.

“A commitment to give back to the community that had welcomed and supported them so fully was always a priority for Joe and Sue Paterno,” he said.

Charity Wine to Water Making a Difference

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By M. MarksPosted In: Education, UncategorizedTagged: , , ,
Doc Hendley

Doc Hendley

People’s individual stories can be incredibly inspirational. Doc Hendley was raised by Christian missionaries and soon became a rebel and party-goer.  As he said, “Everything was just about me and what I was doing that night.”

Then, a close friend pushed him to do something meaningful with his life, and he came upon the idea for a charity in 2004.  Wine to Water.org was started in Boone, North Carolina and today has a budget of $500,000 with programs that repair wells and offer water filtration in countries like Uganda, India, Cambodia, Peru and Haiti.

He’s recently published a book called “Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World.”

After visiting the Sudan’s Darfur region and seeing how emaciated the women and children were, Hendley enrolled in a well-repair training program that was run by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

As Hendley explained, “That began the evolution of my nonprofit. I want all the projects I do to have local involvement, to have the local people getting their hands dirty and doing the work. That way, it’s more sustainable.”

While he faces many uphill battles, Hendley feels good about the nonprofit he’s created and the work that he is doing.  As he said, “I kept asking: ‘Is this work worth it? And I said, ‘Yes.’ To see what happens when you give mothers an opportunity to give their children clean water so that they don’t have to bury any more of their babies from diarrheal disease, is so life-changing to me.”

Restaurant to Donate 100% of Profits to Local Charities

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By DouglasPosted In: FamilyTagged: , , , , ,

A new restaurant, called Local Food and Friends, was just established in Kansas with a goal of using only local food, and donating 100% of the profits to charity.

“I did a lot of research and no one had ever tried a concept like this in the United States, so we wanted to try it,” said the owner, Dave Dreiling. “Each month, we’ll pay off all of our bills, then we’ll take what’s left and we think we can generate between $5,000 and $10,000 per month in an average month.”

Each month, the restaurant will support a different local charity. The first is Flint Hills Breadbasket, whose mission is to “minimize hunger and poverty through the distribution of available food and to nurture projects that will help alleviate hunger and poverty.”

Dreiling said, “The needs are really high for the Breadbasket this time of year. We’re very excited to be partnered up with them for the rest of May and all of June.”

Flint Hills Breadbasket’s Maribeth Kieffer said “We were absolutely surprised and we can’t say thank you enough.”

She added, “I think that they are doing a one-of-a-kind thing, starting something that will maybe travel throughout the United States.”

“We’ll happily open up what we’ve done and how we’ve done it. If someone wanted to do this in every community across America, I think it’s a great way of answering how social and how corporate can help solve some of our problems without trying to get the government to do it,” Dreiling said.

 

Dunkin’ Donuts Donates Coffee for Good Causes

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By M. MarksPosted In: Charity in Business

Certainly, people who are hungry need food – but sometimes they can also use the pick-me-up of a great cup of coffee as well. That’s what Dunkin’ Donuts is assuming, anyway, as it gives away thousands of cups of coffee for charity.

Dunkin’ Donuts just recently donated 500 pounds of coffee, which is the equivalent of 16,000 cups, to the Food Bank of Central New York and to the Food Bank of Southern Tier. They started an initiative for the 2011-2012 sports season that they would donate 1 pound of coffee to a food bank for every goal that was scored by The Syracuse Crunch, the Syracuse Silver Knights and the Cornell men’s hockey team this season. And clearly they’ve stuck by their word.

Now, Dunkin’ Donuts is also setting its sights on donating an addition pound of coffee to the Food Bank of Central New York for every run that the Syracuse Chiefs score during the home games that they participate in this season.

In another Dunkin’ Donuts move, but one that isn’t related to coffee, they are also offering support to Hillside Children’s Center by donating $1000 to Hillside as part of the “Homers for Hillside” program.

Businessman Buys Out Closing K-Mart and Donates Store to Charity

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By DouglasPosted In: FamilyTagged: , , , ,

Rankin Paynter, was on an errand to purchase goods for his jewelry exchange business when he saw the local K-Mart was closing. At the cash register, he asked what the store was planning to do with its leftover merchandise. Upon learning that they would be sold to ‘power buyers’, he became one himself, and donated the entire store to charity. He even rented a building to store the items, worth $200,000, until next winter, when they are to be donated through Operation Happiness.

What I see is people coming in my store, needy people sell their stuff,” Paynter, who runs Rankin Paynter Buying Center, said. “It’s bad nowadays. I just told the clerk let’s just give it away to charity.”

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Pushups For Charity 2012

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By M. MarksPosted In: HealthTagged: , , , ,

Pushups For Charity seems to have taken on a life of its own – and for good reason. The annual charity event is a way to raise money for a worthy cause, and Pushups For Charity 2012 will donate the proceeds to The Boot Campaign. The Boot Campaign is a Texas based non-profit that donates all money they raise to work with soldiers who are healing from physical and emotional combat wounds.

This years, Pushups For Charity 2012 will take place on Saturday, May 19th 2012 at 115 gyms around the country. The goal is to see how many pushups you can do in 90 seconds, and to get friends and family members to sponsor you a set dollar amount for each pushup that you complete. Last year, the charity event raised over $250k and this year the goal is $500k.

Raising the Barr Gym in Ridgeland, Mississippi already held its Pushups For Charity 2012 event last Saturday and raised $21k for the charity. In other places, politicians have used the event as a way to focus on health initiatives. In Evansville, IN, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke is encouraging residents to join in the event after his city was recently named as “the most obese city in the country.” In Houston, TX, Mayor Annise Parker has declared that “May 19, 2012 is Pushups For Charity Day in Houston.”

Drew Brees, Matthew McConaughey and Kenny Chesney Team Up for Charity

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By DouglasPosted In: FamilyTagged: , , , , ,

This weekend, New Orleans hosted the third annual Amazing Race charity event with Drew Brees, Matthew McConaughey and a special visit from country superstar Kenny Chesney. Chesney joined the actor and Saints quarterback in support of the Brees Dream Foundation and McConaughey’s Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, performing at the House of Blues to end the event.

“We’ve been in tour rehearsals for weeks now so it was great for us to get on stage and feel the energy and feedback from the crowd,” Kenny said. “Tonight was all about playing music to help celebrate this great event. People in this town love music and helping out their neighbor and I was glad to be a part of it.”

Kenny had several duet partners throughout the night, including Brees, McConaughey and a lucky fan who joined Kenny for “Somewhere With You” for $10,000. The Amazing Race is the Brees Foundation’s signature event, with all proceeds benefitting the two charities. Created by Drew Brees and his wife Britney, the organization, as well as the Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, works to provide care and education for underprivileged children and families in the area.

“Kenny has been a dear friend and always expressed interest in working with the foundation. This is such a wonderful way to end the race and his support means the world to us,” Brees and McConaughey said in a statement.

 

Charlie Sheen Tweets for Charity

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By M. MarksPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: , , ,

It’s hard to take anything that Charlie Sheen has to say these days too seriously, but the man does have 7 million followers on Twitter. So, when he tweets something out – people do seem to be listening. That’s why it was big news when he tweeted recently to his fans that he would be taking part in the charity event called DASH FOR DETECTION 5K Walk/Run for Pancreatic Cancer Research in Chicago. The event is intended to raise money for pancreatic cancer research and it will take place at Grant Park in Chicago this June.

Organized by the Rolfe Foundation, an organization which supports scientific research to improve the early detection tests for pancreatic cancer, the non-profit will be hosting the fundraiser with the Lustgarten Foundation.

In his support of the cause and the event on June 2, Charlie Sheen tweeted, “Hello Chicago!! I’ll be there to scoot… Walk or Run! Dash for detection for pancreatic cancer research…”

Perhaps Sheen can actually do some good for a change with his tweets for charity.

Massage Envy Owner Helen McDonagh Running for “Mayor” for Charity

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By M. MarksPosted In: HealthTagged: , , ,

Kim Kardashian is, apparently, inspiring those in Glendale.  After she mentioned on camera that she wants to become the mayor of Glendale (a position that doesn’t exist), Kim inspired Massage Envy Spa of Glendale owner Helen McDonagh.

Her Massage Envy Spa is now going to be the campaign headquarters from May 7 through June 30th for charity.  McDonagh has launched a fake mayoral race as a way to raise awareness and donations for Glendale Healthy Kids. Glendale Healthy Kids is a charitable organization that offers low-income families assistance. They want to ensure that children have the access that they need to health care and health education.

The McDonagh for “Mayor” campaign includes taking donations for her “race” on the Facebook Fan page at facebook.com/mcdonaghformayor or through the Fundly app and on Fundly.com/mcdonagh-for-mayor.  From May 7 through June 30th, she will also be donating 10% of all gift card sales that she gets at the store to the Glendale Healthy Kids.

For more information about this creative charity fundraiser, contact the Massage Envy Spa of Glendale, 333 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, California, 818.246.ENVY (3689).

Kristin Chenoweth Joins MLB All-Star Game Charity Event

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By M. MarksPosted In: HealthTagged: , , , , ,
Kristin Chenoweth

Kristin Chenoweth

The MLB All-Star Game Charity 5K and Fun Run just got that much more exciting.  Set to take place on Sunday, July 8th in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, the charity event just signed on award-winning actress, singer and Stand Up To Cancer Ambassador Kristin Chenoweth.  She’ll be joining Hall of Famer George Brett and five-time Royals All-Star and MLB Network analyst Mike Sweeney to raise money for cancer research and education. Presented by Nike, the event will donate 100% of the net profits to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer and the Greater Kansas City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

As Chenoweth said, “My mom is a breast cancer survivor and I am inspired by her every day. Cancer is a disease that has touched far too many lives and I am so honored to be part of the All-Star Game Charity 5K and Fun Run on behalf of Stand Up To Cancer. Join us on July 8 in Kansas City to raise funds and awareness for a great cause!”

On July 8th, the event will begin at 7:30 am with the 5K and will be immediately followed by the family-friendly 1 mile Fun Run.  Everyone who registers and finishes the race will get an All-Star medal and t-shirt.

Event sponsors include Aquafina, Bayer Advanced Aspirin, Gatorade, One A Day and Scotts. Learn more about this event and get ready to run at http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/index.jsp?content=fivek.