Some Livestrong Supporters Want Their Money Back

Days after the public release of the United States Anti-Doping Agency's evidence against disgraced international cycling star Lance Armstrong, some donors to Livestrong, the cancer charity Armstrong founded fifteen years, are asking for their donations back, CNN reports.

Longtime Livestrong supporters Connie and Daniel Roddy of Santa Monica, California, told CNN that, through personal donations and fundraising events, they had generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for the charity over the years. But now they feel as if they were "fooled" by Armstrong, himself a cancer survivor, and want their money back. Other Livestrong supporters are questioning how the charity spends its money. In response, Livestrong spokeswoman Katherine McLane noted over the weekend that the organization spends 82 percent of the funds it raises on programs and services that benefit cancer survivors and their families.

But even as the fallout from the doping scandal spreads — last week, Dutch bank Rabobank announced that it was ending its support for professional cycling teams altogether — other Livestrong supporters remain unfazed.

"If Lance doped, that certainly takes away from his athletic wins," 65-year-old cancer survivor Bob Kile of Kent, Washington, told CNN. "However, to survive what he did and come back at all is impressive. To come back and create good like he did with Livestrong is even better."

“Armstrong Appeals to Cancer Supporters as Some Donors Ask for Their Money Back.” CNN 10/20/12.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Secondary Subject(s): Athletics/Sports, Health

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