STAMFORD, Conn. — Three Connecticut men who claimed a $254 million Powerball jackpot last week made good on their statement that they would be immediately donating a sizable amount to charity.
The trustees of the Putnam Avenue Family Trust has awarded their first $1 million in charitable grants to five veteran support organizations.
The Putnam Avenue Family Trust was set up after the winning Connecticut lottery ticket, worth $254 million, was bought.
The organizations were selected on their proven ability to work with veterans who are in need of emotional, physical or career support.
Trustees Greg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff and Tim Davidson stated, "We cannot think of a more urgent priority than addressing the needs of those men and women who have defended our nation. Many of these veterans are faced with a myriad of real and immediate personal issues that range from trauma to foreclosures. These grant awards reflect the beginning of a process that allows us to leverage lottery winnings into materially helping our society."
Each of the five organizations selected will receive $200,000. The organizations include: The Bob Woodruff Foundation , Building Homes for Heroes , Services for the Under Served (S.U.S.), Operation First Response and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund .
S.U.S. Chief Executive Officer Donna Colonna said, "We are stunned by the generosity and heartened by the fact that the Trust has heard our call to action. By helping the thousands of veterans who have returned from our nation's wars, and who are now need of assistance, we are keeping faith with those who have worn the uniform, defended our freedoms and suffered terribly from that experience. We are thankful to the Putnam Avenue Family Trust but more important, we are grateful that they are giving us the financial tools to sustain our veterans support programs."
"We are extremely humbled and thankful - especially during this holiday season - to be considered by the Putnam Avenue Family Trust for this kind of generosity," said David Winters, President of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Foundation. "As our troops return home from Iraq this month, we are ramping up our efforts to serve the needs of those suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress, the signature injuries of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. This donation will greatly help our efforts to construct satellite centers that will help diagnose and treat those conditions, working in conjunction with the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in Bethesda, which we opened last year."
"The Bob Woodruff Foundation is grateful to be the recipient of such a generous donation from the Putnam Family Trust demonstrating their commitment to the men and women who have volunteered to serve our country. This donation will allow our Foundation to support injured service members and those who care for them in the areas of employment, education and other meaningful activities to help them reintegrate after they transition home from the battlefield," offered Bob Woodruff, journalist, ABC News and Co-Founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
President of Operation First Response, Peggy Baker, said, "Our organization has the honor of serving our nation's Wounded Heroes and their families on a daily basis. To the families we serve, this generous donation will be making a significant difference in their lives. The staff and board members of Operation First Response consider this a Christmas miracle and wish to express our deepest gratitude to the Trustees of Putnam Avenue Family Trust."
"Building Homes for Heroes couldn't be more ecstatic about this incredible act of patriotism and generosity. This tremendous donation will help our organization build a minimum of four homes for severely wounded American heroes in the coming year. By helping the brave men and women realize the American dream of home ownership, The Putnam Avenue Family Trust is making a significant difference in the lives of some very special families. On behalf of those who return home severely injured, we thank The Putnam Avenue Family Trust from the bottom of our hearts, explained Andy Pujol, the group's Founder and President.
Restating their early comments this week, the Trustees explained, "We are leveraging our professional experience and our collective success in money management to ensure these lottery dollars go far further than their face value. If we are successful, we believe the creation of this Trust, and its legacy, will serve as a national model for others who have been equally fortunate in winning sweepstakes and now seek to use those dollars to touch the lives of others."
That very good no matter what the outcome will be, congrat once again to the trios.
Men of their words and that 's the best kind honorable.
$1 million to three organizations that support veterans is not enough money.$3 millions would have been better.If I win a sum like they did I would donate more than a $1 million. I wonder if they did it as a tax deduction strategy, if it was then it was not a real donation to veterans.when I win I will donate to veterans but not as a tax deduction.
I love it!
It's a scary, cynical world out there, and this is the sort of mentality jackpot winners face. Those guys have already had a taste of it, and my guess is it's only going to get worse if they don't isolate themselves immediately. That's why you never go public!
I have never heard of anyone who won the lotto, so quick to publicly donate money. They just added more fuel to their own controversy.
But in the end, I did not win, so whatever
Mocking someone else's generosity doesn't look good on you. Everyone has their own different level of generosity and it's their money to do what they please with it.
Wow! This has to be one of the worst comments of the year.
I had to apologize to Gred Skidmore for my comment.I also received a message with the Gred signature on it. You can see it at this thread https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/239754
But I still believe that $1 million is not enough money in these inflationary times.
giving away less than 1/2 of 1 percent does NOT represent a "sizeable amount" to me. It's a media ploy ONLY...
Personally,I think that any money donated is more than enough,seeing as they are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.Thank god it isn't required (yet) to donate money to worthy causes.If they get a tax deduction for the donation,so what.At least they are getting something back for the MILLIONS OF DOLLARS that the government took from them in the form of taxes.
Everything about these winners raise doubt. I do not blame you. I think warren buffet makes a $1 million every month with his investments.He donated most of his wealth to charities and gave nothing of it to his children.
Thank you very much.You are a very smart person.That is the way I see it.
All my best to them for what they have donated in "PUBLIC".
We do not know what they will donate away from the public eye. We do not have the right to know what they do with it or the right to demand that they do what we want them to do with "THEIR" money. They are not a government entity. They are private citizens. No matter what these young men do, people are going to complain.
The more people complain about it, the more it sounds like sour grapes. They won, we didn't. It's time to be happy for them and to encourage them.
Well in all fairness, not everybody believes in the same kind of socialist agendas that W.Buffet and Bill Gates are trying to promote. In fact, some say that kind of agenda takes freedoms AWAY from people. Warren Buffet can basically print his own money. As can Gates. So of course they're in a place with the Hierachy where they can give a lot of it away. The guys here who won the lotto won a life changing amount of money for sure, but that doesn't mean its an endless amount of money for ever like Gate and Buffet have. The last thing these lotto winners should be doing is making promises to anyone. Including any charities. There's some great charities in the world, but time after time we are seeing that even some charities will try to get all your money from you. There has been more than one lotto winner being sued by some chartiy making claims that did or did not happen.
Agreed!
At least they helped a worthy cause and that is the veterans of this world. So congrats to them for helping the veterans in their area. Good job.-weshar75
THank you stripes for seeing the "goodness" of these winners generosity. Some folks will gripe at a free beer party, and as well we see, they suddenly are the "financial" advisors of others monies. Pity that genuine joy cannot be exuded for these fellows. Even if they gave but a dime...they gave...and for that its a "donation".
Not a fan of military stuff, so I shall keep my peace.
Woohooo to these gents for "giving"!!!
Kudos to these guys for thinking of our Vets.
And it's nobody's business how much they give.
God Bless 'em.
Not at all. As a veteran I can tell you that 1 million is a drop in a bucket for veteran's organizations.
Talk about lookin' a gift horse in the mouth, whoa.
Yes indeed, it is a very small proportion of the whole. It is a drop in the ocean.
From the Bible, Isaiah 40:15 (King James Version):
"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing."
That is why most wealthy individuals leave all their wealth to charities that help the poor. Warren buffet, Bill gates, john d rockefeller and andrew carnegie.
I feel that $1 million was a drop in a bucket or a drop in the ocean too.And I am a thrifty individual.
Exactly! In these hard economic times EVERYONE could use "More" Money...but how much is enough? These groups have $1Million dollars more than they did the day before so people should be positive about the donation. NEVER GO PUBLIC! It's never enough with a lot of people.... You give your Relatives ,Friends, or Co workers 10 Grand they wonder why you didn't give a 100 grand or 1 Million. They wonder if you have $250 Million why you can't give more. It's the Winners Choice how they spend the money and giving to people if you are a Millionaire is still Voluntary! I hope these winners don't get carried away with the people who will always want more and can use the money wisely to make it last a LONG time. Enjoy your win and don't listen to the naysayers....
"It's never enough with a lot of people....
Man, you got that right! And you can see it right here with a few people.
All of a sudden they think you owe somebody something.
If these guys had given 5 million, they'd have said it should have been ten.
Some people are never happy.
I had a few wives like that, now that I think about it.
I read a few months ago that Obama wanted veterans to pay for their own health insurance.And people still think this clown is the best thing since the invention of peanut butter.Darned if can figure out the liberal mindset.
You are apparently not very familiar with itemized deductions under the tax code. Charitable deductions are part of miscellaneous itemized deductions. These are limited by a two percent of adjusted gross income floor. So a one million dollar charitable gift on their prize amount would not begin to approach a level that was even deductible.
I also feel that you did not read the article very carefully. Note that it said, "The trustees of the Putnam Avenue Family Trust has awarded their first $1 million in charitable grants to five veteran support organizations." First. Get it? If I'd won this amount of money, I think I'd have a hard time deciding which groups to award money to also, and to decide on where the first million should go in the first week sounds pretty good to me.
I agree 100%.
I wish them nothing but the best.
It is very true, that not all people will be satisfied no matter what these people do.
GOD bless them in their endeavors.
To any and all who receive, thank GOD for your gift and be grateful to receive something.