Thinking of Joel Olstean I watched Dr. Phil today and he gave a plug for the Red Cross

[maddiemom]

7. Why should this surprise anyone?

Won't presume to make any recommendations , but everyone should take some time with all the internet information available, to check out what charities are worth the contributions. Years ago I did phone solicitations for several well-known charities through one of the telemarketing services, and immediately learned how much of the contributions were lost : charities taking the easy way to raise money. "United Fund" type organizations also take a lot of your contribution. As to the worth of celebrity contributions: sad the economic disparity today makes paltry celebrity contributions sound impressive to the average person, who is probably giving a greater percentage of their income.