Free Republic

The Salvation Army says it's receiving a gift from the late heiress of the McDonald's corporation -- likely to total more than one-point-five (b) billion dollars. The charity's national commander says they are "thrilled" -- but also "humbled" -- by Joan Kroc's generosity. Kroc, who died in October, earmarked the gift for developing community centers across the country. They would be similar to a center that opened in her and her husband's name in San Diego almost two years ago. The donation specifies that half of the money be placed in an endowment so that the earnings would partially support...

<p>In one of the largest individual charitable gifts ever, the estate of McDonald's heiress Joan B. Kroc is about to drop a one-time cash donation of $1.5 billion into the Salvation Army kettle.</p> <p>The Salvation Army announced the donation Tuesday. Mrs. Kroc, widow of Ray Kroc, the milkshake salesman who founded McDonald's Corp. in 1955, died of brain cancer in October at the age of 75. Before her death, she specified that the donation be earmarked to build and operate community centers around the country.</p>

A huge gift to NPR may mean fewer donations for its member stations Los Angeles resident Oliver Kendall admits that he hasn't renewed his subscription to his local National Public Radio affiliate, KCRW. Although the medical student cites financial difficulties as an excuse for not contributing, the fact that he tuned out KCRW during its 10-day pledge drive last summer certainly didn't help. "I resent KCRW pledge drives and I avoid them at all cost," says Mr. Kendall. So one can imagine the rejoicing of Kendall and other KCRW listeners when their hometown newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, declared that...

by L. Brent Bozell III November 11, 2003 National Public Radio is not only a broadcast boutique operated by and for liberals, it’s now flooded with more cash than it could possibly ever need, thanks to a liberal philanthropist. Last week, the estate of Joan Kroc, the wife of McDonald’s franchising genius Ray Kroc who died last summer, announced an award of $200 million to NPR. Joan Kroc rose to public prominence when she was the first American to donate a fat million dollars in 1987 to the Democratic National Committee. She said she was appalled by "an unwarranted and...

National Public Radio is not only a broadcast boutique operated by and for liberals, it's now flooded with more cash than it could possibly ever need, thanks to a liberal philanthropist. Last week, the estate of Joan Kroc, the wife of McDonald's franchising genius Ray Kroc, who died last summer, announced an award of $200 million to NPR.Joan Kroc rose to public prominence when she was the first American to donate a fat million dollars in 1987 to the Democratic National Committee. She said she was appalled by "an unwarranted and excessive increase of our military weapons" under President Reagan...

JOAN KROC, widow of McDonald’s tycoon Ray Kroc, has just given National Public Radio the power to set the American taxpayer free. Kroc, who died on Oct. 13, left $200 million to NPR, the organization announced yesterday. That’s nearly twice NPR’s annual budget. National Public Radio has been telling us for years that just under 1 percent of its budget comes from the federal government. NPR’s last fiscal year budget was $103 million, which puts its federal subsidy at around $1 million. All of the controversy surrounding NPR’s public funding would immediately end if the company used Kroc’s donation to...

WASHINGTON--After agreeing to accept a $200 million donation from the widow of McDonald's founder Ray CrocNational Public Radio, National Public Radio has come under fire from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for accepting "blood money." Protesters gathered Wednesday morning outside of the network's Washington headquarters carrying signs with such titles as "NPR: Never Pay the Ransom," "Mourning Edition" (accompanied by a picture of a mutilated calf and "Just Say No to Blood Money." The demonstrators said they were upset that NPR, which is known for being a voice in the progressive community would take money from a woman...

<p>The signal from National Public Radio just got a lot stronger, in more ways than one.</p> <p>NPR has received a gift of more than $200 million from Joan Kroc, the widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc. She died Oct. 12, leaving NPR with the largest monetary gift ever received by an American cultural institution.</p>

SOCIALIST PUBLIC RADIO NPR GETS $200 MILLION TO SPEW MORE LIBERAL PROPAGANDA - GO TO LINK FOR STORY

Nov. 6, 2003 -- NPR will benefit from a bequest of more than $200 million from the estate of philanthropist Joan B. Kroc, NPR President Kevin Klose announced Thursday. "Joan Kroc believed deeply in the power of public radio to serve the communities of America," Klose said. "She made this extraordinary gift from her steadfast conviction that NPR and our member stations provide a vital connection to millions of listeners." Most of the money -- described by NPR as "the largest monetary gift ever received by an American cultural institution" -- will go toward the NPR Endowment Fund for Excellence,...

National Public Radio Gets Record Gift, Washington Post Says Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- National Public Radio was left $200 million by Joan Kroc, the widow of the founder of the McDonald's Corp. fast-food chain, the Washington Post reported, citing unidentified radio station officials. It was the biggest-ever donation to the non-profit broadcaster, the newspaper said. The gift equals almost two years of Washington-based NPR's annual budget, the Post said. Kroc died of brain cancer at the age of 75 on Oct. 12; although she supported her local NPR affiliate, she had no charitable links with the broadcaster, the paper said.

National Public Radio will announce today the largest donation in its history, a cash bequest from the will of the late philanthropist Joan Kroc of about $200 million. The bequest from the widow of the founder of the McDonald's fast-food chain both shocked and delighted people at NPR's headquarters in Washington yesterday. It amounts to almost twice NPR's annual operating budget. "No one saw this coming," said one person.

As dying philanthropist Joan Kroc sat in her Rancho Santa Fe living room talking about her legacy, she spoke about the $50 million she was leaving University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. " 'Now they will know I'm serious about peace,' " Mrs. Kroc told center director Joyce Neu. Yesterday the university announced Mrs. Kroc's bequest, the largest in its history, to the center which she had supported with $30 million in donations over the last five years. "This will allow USD to become a diamond in the field," Neu said of Mrs. Kroc's...

SAN DIEGO – Joan B. Kroc, the billionaire widow of McDonald's Corp. founder Ray Kroc, died Sunday after a brief bout with brain cancer. She was 75. Kroc was known in recent years as a major donor to organizations working to promote world peace, including namesake think tanks at the University of Notre Dame and the University of San Diego. She inherited the San Diego Padres after her husband died in 1984 and sold the baseball club in 1990 to a group led by Los Angeles television producer Tom Werner. Kroc died at her home in Rancho Santa Fe, a...