Charity Stripe: Athletes Team Up For New Charitable Group

Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, and five other founding members of Athletes for Hope (AFH), a new charitable organization, appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” yesterday to promote the cause. Anchor Robin Roberts interviewed the group, which included Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Tony Hawk, Sister Andrea Jaeger and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Muhammad Ali, also a founder, appeared with his wife, Lonnie, and presented Roberts and Diane Sawyer with AFH tags bearing the slogan, “Pass the Passion.” The other AFH founders are Mia Hamm, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning and Cal Ripken Jr. Agassi said of the idea that led him to join with Armstrong and Hamm to bring the other athletes together for the cause, “We can accomplish a whole lot more collectively.” Dunn, on what he would say to young players set to be drafted into the NFL, “I would challenge them to have a passion about making a change in their communities” (“GMA,” ABC, 4/25).

Beckham Appearing In Mosquito Net PSA

NOTES: As part of Malaria Awareness Day yesterday, a new PSA was unveiled featuring Real Madrid MF David Beckham, in which he asks soccer fans to donate $10, the cost of one mosquito net, towards the fight against malaria. In the ad, Beckham kicks a soccer ball into a goal with a missing net. The PSA closes by saying, “We need nets,” and directs viewers to MalariaNoMore.org (THE DAILY)....Nike is donating $400,000 to the Beaverton (OR) School District to be used “to test new programs and to provide much-needed training to teachers and administrators.” The company in January announced plans to give $9M over the next five years to Portland Public Schools and the Hillsboro and Beaverton school districts (OREGONIAN, 4/26)....Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi is donating a play structure for children with disabilities in her hometown of Fremont, California. Her Always Dream Foundation will raise the funds for the structure, which could cost as much as $500,000 (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 4/26).