14 DAY TRIAL // The other day, ESPN ran a lengthy expose by Outside the Lines on athletes’ charities, which, in many cases, were just fronts for other activities that had nothing to do with their stated goals. Lamar Odom’s foundation Cathy’s Kids was listed among them, but Lamar’s wife, Khloe Kardashian, insists that the expose is nothing short of a witch hunt.
Though Cathy’s Kids is listed as a charity that raises money and awareness for cancer research, it never donated a single cent to that, as we also informed you the other day.
Instead, it donated money to two elite youth basketball teams and paid a small fortune to Lamar’s former high school coach who was hired as secretary, even though the foundation was functioning at a loss.
Khloe writes on her blog that the IRS repeatedly cleared the charity and that the report is twisting facts to accuse her husband of something he would never ever do – that is, scam people.
“It is unfortunate that my husband has been the target of an attack on athletes’ charities, although he has personally contributed approximately $2.2 million to his foundation, Cathy’s Kids, to fulfill its charitable purposes that include helping underprivileged inner-city youth,” Khloe says.
“Not one penny went to help Lamar personally or any member of his family. No charitable funds were misused, and the IRS has repeatedly given Cathy’s Kids a clean bill of health, confirming that there were no improprieties,” she further says.
Khloe believes that Lamar and his charity were included in the report only because “someone” did not bother to read the foundation’s stated mission because it was never just about donating to cancer research.
“Cathy’s Kids was formed with several purposes in mind, including benefitting underprivileged youth and cancer research. A decision was ultimately made that the charity should focus on one of those purposes – to help enrich the lives of underprivileged inner-city youth. It accomplished that goal,” she says.
Lamar Odom has refused to comment on the negative report.