DIKEMBE MUTOMBO

My favorite humanitarian (aside from Bono), Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo has joined the Opportunity International Board of Advisors. This past July, Mutombo invited Opportunity International executives to the dedication of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center, named for his mother, which opened this past week. While there, Mutombo introduced Opportunity International to key government ministers to discuss the organization’s plans to provide microfinance services including loans, savings and insurance for the poor. Now, he is helping the organization prepare its entry into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “The only way we are going to eradicate poverty,” said Mutombo, “is for each one of us to do his part. Opportunity International and its people working in Africa are a solution to breaking the cycle of poverty by providing financial services to the poorest of the working poor. I am excited for them to build a bank near my hospital in Kinshasa.”

“What you quickly learn about Dikembe Mutombo,” said Christopher A. Crane, president and CEO of Opportunity International, “is that he is not a sports celebrity doing a little charity work. This is a man of deep commitment to the poor who puts his own time, energy and significant amounts of money into projects like his hospital. He influences others in a position to make a difference, whether they are NBA players donating time and money or doctors and government leaders contributing their talents to serve the poor, who have been underserved for so long. Dikembe Mutombo is the very definition of a philanthropist and we are honored to have him join Opportunity International.”

In September, Mutombo visited Mozambique where Opportunity International is already serving the poor. He toured the bank and visited loan and savings clients in marketplaces in the capital city of Maputo. “I used to work in a market like this as a child for my father’s small business. I sold bread and cheese and sausage,” Mutombo explained. “My father woke me up every day at 5:30 a.m. and I worked until it was time to go to school at 8 a.m. It was how I earned money for my education. My father was poor…Africa is beautiful, Africa is my birthplace. All we need is a hand up, not a handout,” Mutombo said at the end of his visit. “I believe we are all created equal in God’s eyes and that the Gospel teaches us to find a way to serve humanity. This is what Opportunity International and I are doing and we hope that many others will join us.”

ANDY RODDICK GOES GREEN?

Andy Roddick is expanding his off-court activities with plans for The Andy Roddick Foundation to establish the Andy Roddick Foundation International Tennis Center at CastleRock Texas. CastleRock is an “arts-based, resort-style 120-acre sustainable living and recreational community in the Texas Hill Country.” Interesting…The $8.2 million ARF International Tennis Center will serve as the central training facility for the Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program, which provides the opportunity for at-risk youth to learn the skill and technique of tennis and to compete on local, state and national levels. And it will be the most sustainable and environmentally conscious facility in the United States-a first of its kind-which will integrate a retractable roof over its 17 courts, recycled rubber for court surfaces, solar panels as alternative power sources and extensive rainwater collection systems. “We are thrilled to establish an international tennis center in Texas to further our educational efforts with youth through tennis,” said Dr. Lawrence Roddick, director of the Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program at the Andy Roddick Foundation. “Establishing our home at CastleRock Texas was a natural fit, connecting with its focus on maintaining a natural, green environment toward healthy, active living. We look forward to a long partnership together.”

RON ARTEST I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been ripping on Ron Artest. And now, I offer my apologies to Artest for calling him a Mensa reject all these years. I’m not gonna offer a run-down of incidents that caused me to use the nickname, what I am gonna do is blame the media for painting a nasty image of someone who is actually a really good guy. And yes, I take full responsibility for egging-on some of the bullshit.

So what changed my mind? His name is Michael Tillery and he recently interviewed Ron Artest for a magazine-which I choose to not name. When I read the original interview-prior to publication- I was blown away at Artest’s eloquence and intelligence, and even more impressed with his ‘giving back to the community’ attitude. After the interview was published, I found that it had been unfairly twisted and skewed to paint a drastically different image Artest. Obviously, people love to read about the bad stuff. Tillery: “I would see tidbits of him giving back to the community and wondered if this cat is so much of a monster, then why do children all over the nation seem to love him? He’ll tell you he’s responsible for the public perception of him because of his rebellious relationship with authority early on in his career. He’s made a fair share of mistakes, but it’s not the whole story and we all know how the media runs with negativity.”

Tillery, in part, asked Artest to speak about a recent trip to Africa that wasn’t publicized. “I keep it 100%.Off the court, I’m a very different person. I’m doing all kinds of charity things,” said Artest, “I do and have done a lot of good things off the court…People need to know that I’m a real person. You have all kinds of athletes catering to the corporate world for endorsements. Yeah I would love to do that but I’ll sacrifice that so the hood can get the attention it sorely needs.” Give Ron Artest a second chance kids…read the full interview at The Starting Five and you’ll see that he’s really not a bad guy.

KASEY KAHNE DON’T NEED NO ID

I was laughing my ass off when I read this. Why? Because its funny as hell to visualize…picture NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne and his brother tooling around on a golf cart during the Ford 400 race. After the race, he and his bro try to access the parking area for drivers’ motor homes and come face to face with security officer Archibald Hutchison. Archi asked them for ID. Kahne said he didn’t need any. Archibald said “yeah you do” and Kahne punched him. (Now he is being sued for assaulting Archi). Kahne was charged with battery by Homestead police on November 17 and released. (Bloomberg News). You can read the police report here.

JONNY BE GOOD

After the Duke-Lacrosse scandal, I’m not so quick to judge, but I will certainly use this to niggle my Man-U fans….Manchester United player Jonny Evans has been released on bail after being questioned by police today about claims that a woman was raped at a hotel where the football team were holding their Christmas party. Evans volunteered for questioning after a 26-year-old woman alleged that she had been the victim of a sex attack at Manchester’s Great John Street Hotel. He was released on police bail and ordered to present himself to police on February 23.

Man-U players had booked the entire hotel on Monday night for the squad Christmas party. They told their wives and girlfriends to stay at home and invited 100 models and dancers, for what one observer described as a “drinking, lap dancing and gambling marathon”. But the party came to an abrupt halt at 4.15am yesterday morning when the police received a call alleging that there had been a rape in the building. “At about 4:15 a.m. on Tuesday December 18 2007, police were called to the hotel on Great John Street to a report that a 26-year-old woman had been raped.” The Manchester Evening News reported that the entire Manchester United first team - excluding Cristiano Ronaldo - attended their club’s annual Christmas party. And if anyone knows when and where Chelsea is holding their annual holiday party, please let me know…just curious…I wouldn’t show up or anything…(UKTimes).

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.