Altruism Today

Program Launched with After-Tax Proceeds from President Obama’s Children’s Book

Rockville, MD  & New York, NY (January 20, 2011) –Fisher House Foundation has announced the official launch of the "Heroes' Legacy Scholarships”program, which has been established to provide education aid to the children of military members who have died or become disabled through active military service since September 11, 2001, whether in combat or under other qualified circumstances.

The scholarship grants for this special program are principally underwritten by the after tax proceeds from the book "Of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters"written by President Barack Obama. The amount to be awarded each year will depend on the sum of royalties and other potential donations.

“We are so grateful to President Obama for his continuing support of military families and for allowing Fisher House Foundation to establish this scholarship program as the beneficiary of this beautiful children’s book,” said Ken Fisher, Chairman of Fisher House Foundation.  “Our military families make sacrifices that we civilians can’t even begin to comprehend.  To ensure that their children are not prohibited from pursuing an educational goal just because of a lack of funds is something we can all support.”

Selected recipients will receive a scholarship grant, not to exceed the costs of tuition, books, lab fees, and room and board, to any accredited U. S. post-secondary institution of high learning.  The amount of the scholarship may be reduced by other funds that the student has received from federal or state government programs or other grants. Eligibility criteria for the "Heroes' Legacy Scholarships" program are different from the "Scholarships for Military Children" program, also administered by Fisher House Foundation.  The two applicant pools are considered separately.  Applicants can apply to either or both program if they meet the eligibility criteria.

The program is open to dependent unmarried children under age 23. A disability is defined as one that results in the service member being eligible for, and receiving, Traumatic Service members' Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) or a permanent and total disability compensation rating of 100%.  More information can be found at http://militaryscholar.org/legacy/index.html.

About Fisher House

Fisher House Foundation is best known for the network of 53 comfort homes on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. The houses are 5,000 to 16,500 square foot homes, with as many as 21 suites, donated to the military and Department of Veterans Affairs by the Fisher House Foundation. The Foundation provides support to families of patients receiving care at the nearby medical center and has ensured that families of service men and women wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan are not burdened with unnecessary expense during a time of crisis.

Located in close proximity to the medical center or hospital it serves, each Fisher House consists of between 8 and 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, spacious dining room and an inviting living room with a library and toys for children. There is no fee to stay at a Fisher House. Fisher House Foundation pays any fees charged by the military. Since inception, the program has saved military and veteran families an estimated $150 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.

Fisher House Foundation operates the Hero Miles Program allowing donated frequent flyer miles to be used to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members. To date Hero Miles has issued over 21,000 airline tickets to our military and their families. The Foundation also offers a grant program that supports other military charities and a scholarship fund for military children, disabled veterans and children of the fallen, as well as military spouses.

"King ... has an indescribable capacity for empathy that is the touchstone of leadership. By deed and by preachment, he has stirred in his people a Christian forbearance that nourishes hope and smothers injustice. Says Atlanta's Negro Minister Ralph D. Abernathy, whom King calls 'my dearest friend and cellmate': 'the people make Dr. King great. He articulates the longings, the hopes, and the aspirations of his people in a most earnest and profound manner. He is a humble man, down to earth, honest. He has proved his commitment to Judaeo-Christian ideals. He seeks to save the nation and its soul, not just the Negro.”

Source:Religion Dispatches |  In 2007 Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) initiated reviews of how some of the nation's most prominent televangelists were using or misusing their tax-exempt charitable status for personal enrichment.  Now, the results are in. 

Last week, Grassley's staff released findings about Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer, Paula White, and Creflo Dollar.  The staff report acknowledged the responses and reforms undertaken by Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyer, but noted a pattern of incomplete responses and insufficient cooperation from the other four (Creflo completely stiffed the investigation). 

Religious leaders have hardly applauded Grassley and the nonprofit sector has been a bit reticent to comment.  One argument against was that the review violated the barrier between church and state. For example, Copeland refused to provide information to the Grassley investigation because, he said, "it belongs to God."  Others suggested that Grassley was biased against Pentacostals (Grassley himself is a Baptist). 

Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee warned that Grassley's investigations into these televangelists was one step on the slippery slope toward government investigations into nonprofits:  "It's a little chilling when you start thinking about is Congress going to start going after nonprofit organizations? And if so, are they going to do all nonprofits? Are they going to start looking at Moveon.org?" 

Pepsi Refresh, the online fund-raising contest with a $20 million giveaway for charitable causes and nonprofit groups, is again receiving complaints that its results are being manipulated.

A few nonprofit groups say that recent winners have used a mysterious service to propel themselves into the winning ranks, and complain that the practice breaks Pepsi’s ban on proxy voting and on votes from international locations.

“I feel like we were cheated out of a win,” said Ann Goody, a founder of the Three Ring Ranch, an exotic-animal sanctuary in Kona, Hawaii, that participated in the contest for many months. “We worked our hearts out with e-mails, phone calls, Facebook, kids handing out candy canes at Wal-Mart and then we find out our win was stolen from us by people breaking the rules.”

Pepsi has been running the contest each month since last February. Organizations and causes compete for votes to win grants of $5,000, $10,000, $25,000, $50,000 or $250,000. “I’d say only three months of this contest, the first three, were pretty legitimate,” said Randall G. Herzon, founder of Kritter Kountry, a new nonprofit animal shelter and rescue center in Eureka, Calif., that vied several months for the $250,000 prize.

Mr. Herzon said he first started noticing problems in May. “I’ve been complaining to Pepsi about a number of things since then, and so have others,” he said. “I think they got tired of hearing from us. They kept skirting the issues and saying everything was O.K. under the rules.”

In a statement, Pepsi said it was committed to maintaining the integrity of the contest, and that it deployed a variety of proprietary methods to identify fraudulent votes and remove them from the system. Pepsi also said it “adamantly disputes Mr. Herzon’s claims,” adding that the organizations it had hired to help respond to inquiries had thoroughly reviewed complaints.