Tennis star Novak Djokovic just won the Rome Masters in Italy on Sunday and, in an incredible gesture of support, donated his entire cash prize of about $750,000 to help flood relief in the Balkans. Djokovic also dedicated his victory to his native Serbia, part of the affected region affected by massive flooding.
With at least 43 people dead at the time of writing, Djokovic took the time to address the crowd after his victory (via TMZ):
"Now, Novak has announced he has donated the entire cash prize from the tourney -- €549,000 ... which is roughly $750k. Immediately following the tournament, Novak told the crowd, 'It's also a special dedication to my country, which is suffering a lot right now. My heart is with them.'
"Officials say the flooding in Serbia is the worst in 100 years ... and according to the Red Cross, 300,000 people lost water and electricity."
When in this day and age everyone and their mother has a charity organization often times money gets misused and funneled into rabbit holes never to be seen again. It's nice to see someone commit to simply giving back in times of emergency and tragedy.
NFL star Brandon Marshall donated $1 million this week to mental health causes upon signing a lucrative contract extension. The cause is near and dear to Marshall who has publicly stated that he has borderline personality disorder.
When star athletes give to specific causes out of pocket rather than setting up large, monolithic charity organizations that run like dummy corporations it sends a positive message. Some people really do try to use their celebrity to help make real world changes. But it means a lot more when you put your money where your mouth is.
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