February 15, 2006

  • "For me to walk away with a gold medal is amazing," Cheek said, "and the best way to say thanks that I can think of is to help somebody else."

    Within minutes after he'd won the men's 500-meter race Monday,  Cheek announced  he will donate every dime of the $25,000 the USOC Committee will pay him for winning a gold to help the refugee kids of the Darfur region in the Sudan.

    The money will be funneled to the Darfur orphans through the Right to Play organization to which Koss has lent considerable assistance.

    Cheek, citing the U.S. government's finding of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, said he wanted to sponsor programs for what he said were 60,000 children forced into neighboring Chad. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) wrote last week in the Baltimore Sun that more than 2 million people had been displaced from Darfur over the last two years.

    Cheek, who lives in Park City, Utah, also said he would ask his sponsors — Nike and Oakley — and "all of the Olympic sponsors that give hundreds of millions of dollars" to match his donation. And, if he wins the 1,000 meters on Saturday, he said he would donate that $25,000 as well.

    In the traditional post-competition news conference, gold medalists generally describe the thrill of victory and the agony of previous defeats. But Cheek would not address that lighter side until he had made his announcement, well aware that the world might never again pay attention to him.

    He'll go for a second gold in the 1,000
    meters Saturday, and if he gets it,


     another $25,000 will be sent to
    young victims of what, he said,
    "my country calls genocide."
    [chron.com] 

Comments (14)

  • WOW!!!! I think I'm in love with Cheek!!

  • yeah, i saw that yesterday.  pretty awesome!

  • amen. this is the true spirit of the olympics.
    i hope athletes are inspired to follow his worthy example.

    thank you for your warm comments. they are so healing.
    i hope my wife and i someday have the opportunity to meet you and your bf.

  • hi sophia! i saw your comment on my xanga. the roses made my day. i took about 25-30 pictures of them because i wanted to see them forever. hehe. may God bless you. your posts are always so beautiful and inspirational. it touches my heart to know that people like you exist in this world.

  • thanks for keeping us updated on stuff like this sophia! :) you are such a good xanga poster and advocator all at the same time!

    MISS YOU! but seeing your sister is like having a lil piece of sophia. ;) hehe

  • hi theeters! well yea, i had the song first but my sister wanted it too. lol. i am feeling better. it's just that my mom still didn't want me to go. i hope nursing's going good. love ya. byee

    --michelle

  • wow, you read the whole thing?
    yes, he is funny.
    strange thing is that he, my sister, and i are so different, yet in some ways so alike.
    i'm sure you understand

  • fine then....visit without leaving a comment =[...

    well anyways i had a dream that you were a pedatrition...or ...a babby doctor ine

  • are you going to vascon?

  • haha. noooo. dont worry. we are just friends. i would DEFINITELY let you know when i have bf. thanks for checking up on me, GQ mom!

  • yes, praise God for nurses!
    that was a thoughtful comment you posted re genuine life purpose. i like it. brentlicious expresses a similar take. i think the fact that many people seek a life purpose, regardless of faith or no faith in jesus, reveals that we are created with a desire for significance. God bless you!

  • GL GL GL nclex!!

  • hii theeters!!! my email is:
    simple.sweet@yahoo.com

  • God's love really shines brightly through you..

    thanks for inspiring me.

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment