Lamar Odom's Charity Under Scrutiny With Questions About Fund Distribution
Lamar Odom's charity may be under scrutiny since some are questioning whether he is misusing funds.
Odom, the 33-year-old Los Angeles Clippers' forward, 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.
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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, Khloe Kardashian-Odom, 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.
"Lamar is focused on ensuring that funds are available for under-privileged youth that live in the inner cities of New York and Los Angeles," the pair's website states. "It is important to Lamar that young people, especially between the ages of 9-14, have the resources they need to get all the opportunities available to succeed in life."
In 2010, Kardashian-Odom spoke about admiring her husband for creating Cathy's Kids.
"Every time I see him working with his charity I fall more and more in love with him," Kardashian wrote on her Celebuzz blog. "He's made me a better person and has taught me that anyone can make a difference if you have the desire and the passion to do so."
Odom and his wife have yet to respond to the allegations being presented by ESPN.
