John Harkes Joins Who Gives? Campaign

Athletes for Hope’s multi-phased social media campaign – “Who Gives?”, designed to spark conversation and garner support around athlete philanthropy – has come to a close, raising over $250,000 for over 50 charities and culminating with more than 35 athletes across the country volunteering yesterday as part of the national MLK Day of Service.

The “Who Gives?” campaign, launched in late November, began with an online debate regarding athletes’ obligation to give back to their communities, followed by an online fundraising challenge in which athletes competed against each other off the field to raise money for charity. Campaign involvement has spanned across generations to some of the most influential athletes – Gold Medal winners and Super Bowl champions – and to lesser known athletes who have risen to the challenge. In total, participation has encompassed 18 states, 53 local causes, over ten sports, a mix of celebrities and rank/file athletes, and current and retired players.

Tony Hawk kicked off the debate at www.are-athletes-obligated.org by asking his peers and friends via Twitter: “are athletes’ obligated to give back?” The intriguing question had a domino effect, spurring commentary from athlete superstars such as Steve Nash, Ben Roethlisberger, Jeff Gordon, Annika Sorenstam, Alonzo Mourning and Mia Hamm. The website received thousands of visits and the conversation took off across multiple media channels including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, reaching millions of fans.

Following the debate, athletes took action and engaged their fans in a race to raise money for charities nationwide at www.globalgiving.org/leaderboards/athletes-for-hope. Over the course of one month, more than $250,000 was raised by over 3,000 individual donors for various charities. Steve Nash took home the grand prize for most dollars raised, with a total of $20,963 raised for his foundation, and Kristine Lily claimed the grand prize for most donors with a total of 378 unique donors supporting her charity of choice, Clifford’s Gift.

The multi-phased campaign is part of a larger call to action for hundreds of professional athletes around the world to show support for the causes about which they are most passionate.

“The success of this campaign has far exceeded our expectations in terms of money raised for charity, athlete participation, and awareness spread for sports philanthropy,’ said Ivan Blumberg, CEO of Athletes for Hope. “Our hope was to provide athletes and sports enthusiasts with a platform to voice their opinions and advocate for the causes that they care about, and we found that the campaign went further by uniting athletes with a passion to make a difference with their peers, fans and charitable organizations in a truly unique way.”

Prize sponsors include UGive.org, The Bender Foundation, and the grand prize of $35,000 – in honor of John Lennon and a 30-year memorial “Imagine a World in Peace” celebrating his life – is sponsored by the Get the Point Foundation in partnership with Athletes for Hope.

Here are the winners:

Most Funds Raised Steve Nash: Quality Early Learning for Little MVPs - $20,963 raised - $10,000 Bonus Julie Foudy Scholarships for 20 Military Daughters - $20,672 raised - $5,000 Bonus Tony Hawk: Build a Skatepark in Watts - $18,235 raised - $2,500 Bonus Kristine Lilly Believes in helping the Homeless - $16,415 raised - $1,250 Bonus

Most Unique Donors Kristine Lilly Believes in Helping the Homeless – 378 unique donors - $10,000 Bonus Tony Hawk: Build a Skatepark in Watts – 353 unique donors - $5,000 Bonus Nicole Davis: A Voice for Every Foster Child – 260 unique donors - $2,500 Bonus Eric: Educational Opportunity for 200 Kids – 229 unique donors - $1,250 Bonus

Bonus Day Winners Dec. 22nd: Kristine Lilly & Clifford's Gift - Unique Donor and Money Raised, Total Bonus of $1,000 Dec. 29th: Steve Nash & Steve Nash Foundation, Unique Donor Winner, $500 Bonus; Eric Fonoimoano & Dig 4 Kids,

Money Raised Winner, $500 Bonus Dec. 30th: Nicole Davis & Child Abuse Prevention Counsel,

Unique Donor Winner, $1,000; Kristine Lilly & Clifford's Gift, Money Raised, $1,000 Dec. 30th additional bonus from GG (based on error in results): Jon Harkes & DC SCORES, $500; Christen Karniski & Friends of the Animal Center, $500 Jan. 5th: Chris Wingert & Xango Goodness Foundation -

Unique Donor and Money Raised, Total bonus of $1,000 Jan. 7th: Eric Fonoimoano & Dig 4 Kids, Unique Donor Winner, $500; Chris Wingert & Xango Goodness Foundation, Money raised, $500 Jan. 12th: Kristine Lilly & Clifford's Gift, Unique Donor Winner, $500; Tony Hawk & Tony Hawk Foundation, Money raised, $500 Jan. 14th: Tony Hawk & Tony Hawk Foundation - Unique Donor & Money Raised, Total Bonus of $2500

Who Gives? Racing for a Cause