Bernard McCullough grew up above an Englewood church and then worked as a fry cook while honing his comedy act at night. Decades later, after hitting it big in nightclubs, television and movies, Bernie Mac wanted to give back.
He founded a small charity in 2005 aimed at helping fellow sufferers of sarcoidosis, a disease that disproportionately affects blacks in the U.S. The organization continued after his death three years later, collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and holding fundraisers — including a blues show as recently as February.
But public records and interviews show that the charity is falling short of key benchmarks for such organizations, as well as the generous intentions of its founder. For instance, records for the six years ending in 2012 show that 13 percent of the Bernie Mac Foundation's spending has gone to charitable programs, far below the 65 percent minimum that experts recommend.
A national sarcoidosis group also told the Tribune that it never received an agreed-upon grant from the Bernie Mac Foundation. Ginger Spitzer, executive director of the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, said the Bernie Mac Foundation pledged $100,000 to the group in 2010 but paid out only $50,000.
(link below)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-bernie-mac-charity-met-20140406,0,4507066.story
Sunday, April 6, 2014
BERNIE MAC CHARITY COMING UNDER FIRE
Bernard McCullough grew up above an Englewood church and then worked as a fry cook while honing his comedy act at night. Decades later, after hitting it big in nightclubs, television and movies, Bernie Mac wanted to give back.
He founded a small charity in 2005 aimed at helping fellow sufferers of sarcoidosis, a disease that disproportionately affects blacks in the U.S. The organization continued after his death three years later, collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and holding fundraisers — including a blues show as recently as February.
But public records and interviews show that the charity is falling short of key benchmarks for such organizations, as well as the generous intentions of its founder. For instance, records for the six years ending in 2012 show that 13 percent of the Bernie Mac Foundation's spending has gone to charitable programs, far below the 65 percent minimum that experts recommend.
A national sarcoidosis group also told the Tribune that it never received an agreed-upon grant from the Bernie Mac Foundation. Ginger Spitzer, executive director of the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, said the Bernie Mac Foundation pledged $100,000 to the group in 2010 but paid out only $50,000.
(link below)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-bernie-mac-charity-met-20140406,0,4507066.story
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment