Armstrong Dropped By Another Charity

The hits keep coming for Lance Armstrong, as the now-disgraced bicyclist has had his picture dropped from a charity he co-founded in 2007.

The Bethesda, Md.-based Athletes for Hope, which Armstrong co-founded in 2007 with tennis legend Andre Agassi and women's soccer star Mia Hamm, removed his picture from their website after he confessed to using steroids in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. The organization's mission is to encourage professional and Olympic athletes to connect with existing charities rather than founding their own foundations.

The story was first reported in The Wall Street Journal.

The nonprofit's chief executive officer, Ivan Blumberg, told The Journal that the decision was "mutual" and was decided immediately after the airing of Armstrong's interview with Winfrey. While his picture is no longer on the website, his name still is listed as a co-founder.

The charity also lost two other celebrity partners in the past few months: Women's tennis player Andrea Jaeger and baseball hall-of-famer Cal Ripken Jr. Jaeger made the decision to cut ties with the organization after Armstrong was first accused of doping by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in August. Jaeger, whose Little Star Foundation aids children with cancer and other deadly diseases, said she could no longer be a part of the organization because its direction was different from the values that were important to her, presumably referring to its ties with Armstrong. Ripken left after Armstrong's interview with Oprah.

Other celebrities that remain with the nonprofit include former NBA player Alonzo Mourning, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, and skateboarding star Tony Hawk.

Athletes for Hope has also encountered funding problems in recent years, according to tax filings. A multi-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation totaling $2 million expired early last year. Blumberg also told The Journal that his salary, which was at a base of $250,000 with total compensation of $325,000 in 2011, will be reduced to $150,000. He said the lack of funding can be attributed to a weak economy.

Armstrong has had a difficult time since USADA first filed its charges against him. The foundation he created to promote cancer research officially changed its name to the Livestrong Foundation in November, and he eventually stepped down from the organization. He was also dropped by corporate sponsors Nike and Anheuser-Bush in October, the month USADA announced its decision to ban Armstrong from cycling for life.

You can read the full story in The Wall Street Journal.

Armstrong Steps Down From Livestrong Board

Cross-Posted From The NonProfit Times Website

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Less than a month after stepping down as chairman, Lance Armstrong has resigned entirely from the board of the foundation that he founded 15 years ago.

The former cycling champion resigned as chairman of the board on Oct. 17, replaced by founding chairman Jeff Garvey, and yesterday Garvey announced that Armstrong voluntarily resigned from the Lance Armstrong Foundations’ board “to spare the organization any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding his cycling career.” The decision to step down was made Nov. 4 by Armstrong but announced yesterday, according to a spokesman.

In a 200-word statement, Garvey thanked Armstrong for “changing the way the world views people affected by cancer,” as well as for his devotion to serving survivors and commitment to the cause.

Armstrong, 41, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996, beating the disease and starting the foundation in 1998 before going on to win seven consecutive Tour de France titles between 1999 and 2005. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) released a report last month that included damning testimony from former teammates that many within U.S. cycling, including Armstrong, engaged in doping. Armstrong has continually denied the allegations but was stripped of his seven titles and several sponsors, including Nike, severed ties with him, though not with the charity.

The Austin, Texas-based foundation is more commonly known as Livestrong after a branding effort several years ago. The charity skyrocketed to fame after the wild success of yellow, Livestrong bracelets in 2004, selling more than 80 million. Over the years, Armstrong has donated nearly $7 million to the organization, Garvey said, and the foundation has raised nearly $500 million.

Fundraising hasn’t been hurt yet by the rash of media reports since the USADA released its evidence in August. Livestrong has reported that donations are up about 3 percent since Aug. 23, and the number of donations are up more than 7 percent, compared to 2011. The number of donations are up about 15 percent since Armstrong resigned as chairman last month while the total raised is up about 2 percent compared to the same time last year.

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• The Lance Armstrong Foundation Gets Big Stock Gain The Lance Armstrong Foundation gets a big stock gain in deal with a media IPO
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• Ethical Use To Donor's DollarsEthical Issues on the minds of fundraisers

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