Khloe Kardashian Defends Lamar Odom Against Charity Claims
Khloe Kardashian is defending her husband against recent claims that he has been misusing charity funds aimed to help cancer research.
Kardashian, 28-year-old reality television star and wife to Los Angeles Clippers forward Lamar Odom, recently spoke out concerning ESPN reports that claimed her husband's charity was not all that it seemed to be.
"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," Kardashian wrote on her Celebuzz website. "The millions of dollars personally contributed by Lamar constituted more than 90 percent of the money raised by the foundation."
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Odom, 33, founded the Cathy's Kids charity in 2004 in an attempt to make a positive impact on underprivileged children. The foundation also focuses on cancer research, since the NBA player lost his mother to stomach cancer at a young age.
However, "Outside the Lines" has reported that Odom's charity has not donated any money to cancer research since it was founded eight years ago, according to an ESPN report. Nonprofit watchdog groups such as the Charity Navigator, the Better Business Bureau and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy provided guidelines which found that Odom's charity and over 100 others created by high profile athletes may not have been forthcoming in the way they used funds, according to ESPN.
Although $2.2 million has reportedly been raised for Odom's charity, 60 percent of those funds went to finance two basketball teams that support kids who travel around the country. Odom's friend reportedly has been given a $70,000 yearly salary, according to opposingviews.com.
While Odom and his reality television star wife have been vocal about raising money for their charity, the pair has a joint eBay store where they sell items to donate to Cathy's Kids. Despite the negative media reports surrounding Cathy's Kids, Kardashian-Odom insists that her husband's charity has been approved by the IRS.
"All of the funds donated by Lamar and the other contributions to Cathy's Kids were used for one of the foundation's intended charitable purposes. Not one penny went to help Lamar personally or any member of his family," Kardashian-Odom wrote on her website. "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."
