Posted on 09/15/2008 3:15:20 PM PDT by iowamark
Oprah Winfrey has been proclaimed the world's biggest giver -- again.
For the seoncd year running, the day-time host topped a list of the 30 most generous celebrities for giving $50.2 million US last year through the Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Oprah's Angel Network, which fund education, health care and advocacy for women and children.
The list, now in its second year, was compiled by The Giving Back Fund, a charity that aims to encourage philanthropy.
Claiming the No. 2 spot was trumpeter Herb Alpert, who gave $13 million for education, including music lessons, through the Herb Alpert Foundation.
Three athletes also made the top 10, with cyclist Lance Armstrong, basketball star Michael Jordan and Canadian hockey player Eric Lindros giving $5 million each.
Here is the top 10 on The Giving Back Fund's list of most generous celebrities (all figures in US dollars):
1. Oprah Winfrey, $50.2 million.
"The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Oprah's Angel Network: education, health care, and advocacy for women and children worldwide"
2. Herb Alpert, $13 million.
"The Herb Alpert Foundation: music education, including the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music"
3. Barbra Streisand, $11 million.
"The Streisand Foundation: the environment, women's issues, civil rights, AIDS research and advocacy"
4. Paul Newman, $10 million.
"Scholarship for Kenyon College, his alma mater, in Gambier, Ohio."
5. Mel Gibson, $9.9 million.
"Holy Family Church in Malibu, Calif."
6. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, $8.4 million.
"The Jolie-Pitt Foundation: New Orleans reconstruction, refugee aid, cross-cultural understanding"
7. Lance Armstrong, $5 million.
"The Lance Armstrong Foundation: cancer research, education and advocacy"
8. Michael Jordan, $5 million.
"Hales Franciscan High School, a historically black all-boys school in Chicago "
9. Eric Lindros, $5 million.
"London Health Sciences Centre, a Canadian hospital where the former hockey player was treated"
10. Rush Limbaugh, $4.2 million.
"Financial assistance to the children of Marines and law-enforcement officers killed in the line of duty."
Source: The Giving Back Fund
If one applies the Biblical principle about giving, which is “It’s not how much you give, it’s how much you have left over after you give”..........then the list may look different.
Right around that same time -- might have been the same day -- Mark Levin (whose show comes on three hours after Rush in the NYC market) gave some personal insight, about when Mark needed heart surgery. Rush paid all his medical costs, transportation costs for him and his family, etc.
The amounts she gives away, usually warrant some press.
If they had 30 celebrities, Rush wouldn’t be last. Some people may interpret this list as “Rush is the least generous of the ten”. There’s a lot more money in TV, so I agree, they ought to take income into account when they judge generosity.
Love to see the breakdown of percentage of income.
Bet the order there would change quite a bit.
“Black women and children ONLY.
Some of her projects indeed focus on blacks. Og course she’s also helped Muslim women who have defied the Koran and she’s helping rebuild Sri Lanka.
So tell us all why it matter to you the color of the person getting he help. Or why you felt it necessary to bring it up.
Hey Rush! Next year, add Free Republic to you list. Thanks.
“Some of the people might consider it a insult but the artical says “30 most generous celebrities” The grouped Rush with hollywood crowd.”
Rush IS a celebrity. He gets paid what he does because he’s primarily an entertainer.
... and someone elses money.
LLS
Rush is a member at a golf club I used to work and teach at. He came in in October one year and was very humble (being new to the game and all).
He used to host a lot of guests (a lot of times they were NBA players or major GoPac types) and if they were in from out of town, he would BUY them new sets of clubs to use for the day. We had brand new rentals (Callaway at the time, I think), but he didn’t want his guests playing with even slightly used equipment.
Then he would just leave them with us and to be honest, we would clean most of them up and sell them again as new. I wouldn’t be surprised if he bought the same sets 3 or 4 times. I’m sure he knew, but it was his way of supporting the club and the golf shop.
When the annual employee Christmas fund letter came out - a solicitation for members to reward the staff for a hard years worth of work and to provide them with a nice Christmas bonus, he wrote a check for $5,000. The average gift throughout the membership was probably $50. This was after being there for a couple of months!
Also, that Christmas fund was split equally between EVERY employee at the club. Meaning the guy who mowed the greens or the after school kid who picked the range as well as the Director of Golf ALL received the same share.
Needless to say, Rush made a lot of friends that winter.
Wait a second..RUSH ANNOUNCED THIS ON HIS WEBSITE. that’s a bit showy, huh?...for 50 million, Oprah deserves a Press release. YEESH...and Jolie and Pitt? ANOTHER 2 million today. They are a very interesting couple!
A) The word "advocacy" is a red flag. It's community-organizer-type word, indicating that the money is being spent on, basically, politics. This is NOT charity.
B). When Rush gives money away, he generally doesn't tape it and do it in front of a live, cheering audience, all to show what a great guy he is. Oprah's charity is arguably, a ratings stunt.
How dare you think you know why people do what they do...and the people she helps don’t give a rat’s ass why...they’re just happy. Why is this any different than people who give just for the tax benefit? WHO CARES WHY THEY GIVE? Bah humbug to you.
It’s really none of anyone’s business what Rush gives. If he gave zero it would be his own choice of how he spends his money.
Liberals deserve to be taken to task, because they are the ones who say that they are there for the poor, sick, etc. When they don’t give it shows there true character, and that they really only want to give your money.
By giving Rush get’s a value that means something to himself. Screw what the liberals think.
I didn’t expect a lib organization to tell the truth. I bet these organizations that are named after these supposed donors take major donations and they get the credit for it.
In current usage zakah is treated as a 2.5% levy on most valuables and savings held for a full lunar year, as long as the total value is more than a basic minimum known as nisab (three ounces or 87.48g of gold). As of 16 October 2006, nisab is approximately US$1,750 or an equivalent amount in any other currency.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Pillars_of_Islam
Thats .04 percent of their income.
As much as we here don't like a lot of Oprah's views or her support of Obama, the fact is that she earned HER money. She can do with it what she pleases!
The folks who are upset that she tapes it and publicizes it don't realize that by doing so, she is encouraging others to give to the same causes, as well.
Kids in some horrible, forsaken places are alive, safe, and learning because of her generosity. She may not be a favorite of mine, but I can at least respect her efforts to help others who need it the most.
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