I don't follow sports, either football or olympics, and so if NPR hadn't covered this I never would have heard of it.
With all of the bad news in the world it is so unusual to see some good news, and see someone who wants to make a difference.
US Skater Donates Gold Medal Winnings to Darfur Refugees
VOA
Cheek announced after the race that he was donating his entire $25,000 bonus money from the U.S. Olympic Committee to Right to Play. It's an organization of former Olympic, Paralympic and professional athletes worldwide who support using sport for development, health and peace.
Cheek says his donation will go to a specific project.
"In the Darfur region of Sudan, there have been tens and tens of thousands killed. My government labeled it a genocide, and so I will be donating money specifically to a program to help refugees in Chad, where there are over 60,000 children who have been displaced from their homes," he said. "And hopefully if the region ever gets stabilized, hopefully through pressure from the United Nations or from the U.S. government, or from some other agency, then we can go into Sudan and start programs in Sudan for refugees there, internally displaced refugees there."
Joey Cheek added that he will ask Olympic sponsors to match his donation to a Right to Play project.
Heart of gold to go with medal
American speedskater donates his winnings to charity for Sudanese kids