Could Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian be involved in a charity scam?
According to ESPN, Lamar Odom’s charity “Cathy’s Kids” — which he founded in 2004 after his mother passed away from cancer — promises “money for cancer research [but] has not given a dime in grant money to any cancer entity in its eight-year history.” This, despite raising $2.2 million thus far.
On Lamar and Khloe’s joint eBay page, it states that “[Cathy’s Kids] was developed as a means for Lamar to streamline all his charitable efforts and focus on making a positive impact on the lives of under-privileged children, as well as targeting a disease that has played a significant role in his life, cancer.”
Which is where it gets tricky: The second half of the sentence is apparently an empty statement, while the first is not.
“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,” their site goes on to say. As mentioned, no such money was given to the cause.
On the upside though, the couple’s mission to ensure “that funds are available for under-privileged youth that live in the inner cities of New York and Los Angeles” has been fulfilled. Of the $2.2 million the charity has raised, reports Yahoo, at least 60 percent — $1.3 million — went to finance two elite youth basketball travel teams.
To make matters a bit tricky, a separate eBay page dedicated to Cathy’s Kids makes no mention of cancer research, but is instead dedicated solely to raising funds to buy “educational tools such as books and computers, mentoring and tutoring services and recreational opportunities” for underprivileged youth.
And Khloe’s involvement goes beyond just being the wife of, or having her photographs on eBay with Lamar: According to Yahoo, the reality star is actively auctioning clothes and accessories and her page clearly states that “all auction items benefit Cathy’s Kids, a Lamar Odom Foundation.”
So why is the charity publicly committed to cancer research while the money does not go to cancer research? A request for comment made to both Lamar and Khloe’s reps was not immediately answered.
Source: Huffington Post