6/10/2008

Osi and Jim Umenyiora Charity a Flop

New York Giants defensive end, Osi Umenyiora and his brother Jim Umenyiora have been the heads of a a charity event held here in Atlanta for the past two years called "Strike 4 a Cure". This event is usually filled with celebrities and NFL ballers bowling for the cause. The brothers run an organization titled Make Plays for Africa Foundation, which was based on being a self-sustaining charity that would sponsor HIV clinics in Nigeria, which is where their parents are from, and they had an uncle who died from AIDS there.
The most recent event, which was held in May was a flop and didn't meet what the charity's flashing website indicated. In fact, the event cost the brothers $40,000 in just this year alone leaving them in the red. The charity planned to raise at least $1 million this year. The Atlanta Journal Constitution found that misleading claims on the site and promo material gave misleading information. The charity claimed that the event held in May raised lots of money and that the event "Strike 4 a Cure" had federal tax exempt status; Both of these claims have been found to be false.

The brothers have cancelled any further events, and Jim Umenyiora, who is the head of Make Plays for Africa Foundation, says that he is firing the public relations company and shutting down the website. "From now on, Make Plays for Africa will not accept donations unless it gets federal tax-exempt status," Jim said.

Let this whole ordeal be a warning to those of you who are quick to jump on the charity online band-wagon. When it looks nice and flashy and endorsed by big names... it doesn't always mean it's got big money to back it!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Jim is a crook and has been riding his brothers coat tail for years.. Get a job Jim!