When President Obama picked up the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in December, he took home with him a gold medal, a diploma and $1.4 million in prize money. On Thursday, the White House announced how he plans to divvy up the cash — sharing the money with ten charities, supporting veterans and higher education as well as Haiti relief and global outreach programs.
As reported in USA Today, at the top of Obama’s list is the Fisher House Foundation, a charity that helps American troops and veterans by providing housing for their families during periods of hospitalization for illness or injury. The 20-year-old organization has already decided how the $250,000 will be spent. “One-hundred percent of this contribution will go directly to supporting the Fisher Houses we’re building at Bethesda Naval Hospital and Dover Air Force Base,” announced Fisher House’s Chairman and CEO Kenneth Fisher, who thanked the president for his generosity.
Next in line is the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, set up by former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in January after the devastating effects of the Haiti earthquake ravished the country, leaving many homeless. A checkfor $200,000 has been donated to the fund in order to help the Haitian people reclaim their country and rebuild their lives.
Six charities focusing on higher education will each receive $125,000. They are:
American Indian College Fund: An organization that provides scholarships and educational support to American Indian students who want to further their education while maintaining their cultural traditions.
Posse Foundation: A foundation that offers scholarships to students with exceptional academic potential from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may be overlooked by the traditional college selection processes.
United Negro College Fund: The largest minority higher education assistance organization aims to provide fund historically black colleges and universities and has helped over 350,000 students graduate from college in the last 65 years.
Hispanic Scholarship Fund: The organization has enabled over 90,000 Latino students to graduate, two of thirds of which were the first in their families to go to college.
Appalachian Leadership Education Foundation: Funded by foundations and companies, the program has offered countless youngsters from Appalachian communities the chance to attend college and graduate.
College Summit: Over the last decade, the organization has been recognized for its work in the fields of social entrepreneurship and college access in their tireless work to raise college enrolment rates nationwide.
Obama also chose two charities both involved in global outreach to receive a donation of $100,000 each. AfriCare offers aid to Africa, focusing on health, food security and water resource development, while the Central Asia Institute promotes and supports community-based education, particularly for girls in remote areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The institute’s co-founder was himself a Nobel Peace Prize nominee this year.
“These organizations do extraordinary work in the United States and abroad helping students, veterans and countless others in need,” said Obama in a statement: “I’m proud to support their work.” Having been inaugurated less than two weeks prior to the Nobel nomination deadline, his win was certainly controversial, as reported the BBC. Honored for his aspirations rather than his achievements, Obama himself said he was “surprised and deeply humbled” by the award but accepted it during a formal ceremony in Oslo back in December as a “call to action.”
In sharing his win with all of these worthy charities, the president has highlighted the good work and charitable efforts that go on every day in America. Let’s hope the organizations can continue in their efforts to make the world a better place while Obama proves himself not only as America’s president, but also in his role as peacemaker.
Photo by Utenriksdept via Flickr.
