Cathy's Kids, a foundation he started in 2004 after losing his mother to stomach cancer, is being accused of not giving a cent to cancer research in the nine years it has been operating.
Although the charity's mission is supposed to be "making a positive impact on the lives of under-privileged children, as well as targeting a disease that has played a significant role in [Odom's] life," it only seems he's kept up half of that bargain. Cathy's Kids' mission statement continues, "Lamar lost his mother to stomach cancer and subsequently is committed to help causes that are focused on finding a cure and helping people who suffer from the disease. 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 latter part seems to be the one promise he has kept.
According to an investigation by ESPN, eight years of tax records show that Cathy's Kids "primarily existed to finance two elite youth basketball travel teams. Of the $2.2 million raised by the charity, at least 60 percent -- $1.3 million -- went to those AAU teams."
A chunk of the money raised by the charity also went into the bank account of its secretary, Jerry DeGregorio, a longtime confidante of Odom's who was both his high school basketball coach and best man at his 2009 wedding to Kardashian. DeGregorio, now an assistant coach with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, reportedly earned a median annual salary of $72,000 from 2004 to 2011 from the charity … even though Cathy's Kids was operating at a loss. In 2011, the organization's tax return showed a debt of $256,000, according to ESPN.
A rep for the Warriors did not immediately respond to omg!'s request for comment on DeGregorio's involvement.
Source: yahoo
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