Brad Pitt & Family Give $1M To Missouri Hospital

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Brad Pitt and his siblings have given $1 million to help a Missouri hospital open a new pediatric cancer center that will be named for their mother.

Pitt and his siblings' families, Doug and Lisa Pitt and Rob and Julie Neal, gave the money to St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Mo., on Saturday in honor of their mother's passion for children's issues.

The hospital is opening the Jane Pitt Pediatric Cancer Center this summer in the town where Pitt and his siblings grew up. The donation will pay to hire the only pediatric oncologist and hematologist in the southwest Missouri region.

The new center will make St. John's one of six affiliates of St. Jude's Children's Research in Memphis, Tenn., meaning the center will be able to participate St. Jude's clinic research trials.

Comments

[ZimboDude]

Its shameful what some of our posters here on HP write. All they do is critisize all day long. Pathetic

[marymansour]

I spent almost six weeks in Johns Hopkins pediatric wing with my oldest daughter in the early seventies. I know the hope, suspense, acceptance, non-acceptance, agony , grief and sometimes elation - the entire cornucopia of intense emotions that are present when children are ill.

My thanks to Brad Pitt and his family for their support and gracious donation to a worthy cause.

[happycat]

Lovely post!

[TigersEye]

I hope your daughter is still in good health, Mary. That must have been a traumatic experience.

[marymansour]

She's fine now, TigersEye. Thanks for your post and Happy's above it. She was suspected of having a brain tumor which she didn't have but there were some very sad endings for the other parents. I'll never forget a 2 year old on life support whose local doctor did not catch an appendix before it ruptured. They pulled the plug when he flat lined. It was one of the most tragic things I have witnessed to date.

[Alvin4NY]

Bought a painting for a million and gave away a million, all in the same week. Hmmm.

[VOTER]

What is your point?

[toppergem]

EXACTLY!!!

[ladydragon]

why is it that the public has to hear or see pictures of these two people every time they so much as breathe. Josephine Baker lived in France, adopted and raised to adulthood 20 children from all over the world, she dedicated her life to providing for those children, it would be great is someone found the children she raised and give them an interview.

[VOTER]

Go For It.

It would make great reading.

[kellypdx]

great idea, ladydragon!! are you a writer? do you have any plans for the next 3 years, cuz i'd love to read that book.

[Checquoline]

They didn't HAVE to do it and didn't NEED the publicity. I am glad somebody is doing something.

[andj]

people forget that when a celebrity makes a donation he/she is also investing in their brand ie in goodwill and future earnings for themselves. It It can be but its not always purely altruistic.

Or when they use a donation as a PR opportunity to distract from their personal life then I don't see it as being generous. They are paying for good publicity - that is all it is.

When they turn it into a huge PR relations affair , and call in all the photogrophers because they want to be seen giving the cheque - then it kind of looses some of its generosity.

Im not saying this is necessarily the case with Pitt.

[vasta]

Please, take your negativity and go sit under a tree.

Geez , a million dollar donation along with the other millions these people have ALREADY given to help children is WONDERFUL!

[andj]

ah vasta - you are so so naive.

There is something about your words that indicate you are hurt by this small dose of reality. Its sweet that their are people like you around. Do you beleive all that you read from somebodys PR machine? And do you also think that Palin is an intellectual?

Anyway a million dollars for pitt is like 10 dollars for you, big deal. Its a small investment to buy you goodwill and future earnings.

[VOTER]

BINGO!

[joocee102]

I agree.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

"Im not saying this is necessarily the case with Pitt"

Why say something like that then?


Why look a gift horse in the mouth? Is that the correct saying?

[coastalcarla]

He's been watching too much Glenn Beck lately. That's the kind of catty thing he'd say.

[QueenCeleste]

The contribution is not as humane as it might seem; St. Jude's still funds vivisection. Too bad Pitt and family did not contribute to one of the many charities that does not use animals in their research.

[jcwtts1]

give me a break.

[mollymac]

You have not evolved.

[mollymac]

Thank you for reminding us all about St. Jude. Apparently, Marlo Thomas has been called out on this numerous times and gets angry when confronted. I do not support any organization that continues to use vivisection in a time when it is totally unnecessary. Computers, people computers!

[RedGinger]

Good comment, mollymac....vivisection pictures are horrible.....I vote for computers & cadavers.

[totalliberal]

The charity takes the money, then accepts the money in front of the press hoping for additional contributions because there are celebrities present for news value. That's how the system works.

[jcwtts1]

and it does work. I bet they triple the money because of the exposure. Further, who knows how much they will give next year, at fundraisers. The facilities are there they need doctors.

J

[CJAY]

I think it's better for them to publish their generosity because it may motivate other celebrities to also donate. In my small city, a couple would always donate large sums each year to their favorite charities. Several people complained that they didn't remain anonymous. Well, other wealthy people began to feel ashamed & also had to donate large sums to keep up with the Joneses.

[Olampean]

Brad Pitt is from Springfield, Missouri. A very uncool place, nothing to do there, no scenery, no culture,
climate bad, people are mean, in fact, the Ozarks in general really sucks. Oh, god, please don't throw me in the briar patch.

[sarahwaters]

is that why he doesn't bathe and always "smell"? water and soap are cheap.

[TruthConquers]

Springfield isn't that bad. Granted it's not the coolest of locales and there isn't a whole lot of entertainment (besides nature) but I have never encountered anything but kindness there.

[dappleganger]

I'm sure the good people there would appreciate you driving driving straight through without stopping.

[AnimalLover6]

Drop in the bucket for these folks. Great tax write-off. Great publicity, too.

Honestly, when will Americans stop salivating over stupid celebrities?

[vasta]

blah, blah, blah, I personally do not salivate over stupid celebrities and I think this is a wonderful gesture.

[mollymac]

And a huge tax writeoff.

[JScott]

The donation will pay to hire the only pediatric oncologist and hematologist in the southwest Missouri region

So that's all you get?

as other comments said 'drop in the bucket' but for the PR value----priceless!!!!

I work with government in local AIDS providers---folks all those glam celeb studded benefit parties for them is but a mere drop in the bucket for what they need to do, it lasts MAYBE A MONTH, they still have to rely on government funding---if celebs and other rich folks were TRULY generous they would quit campaigning to lower their taxes AND JUST PAY THEM, gawd all our budget deficits would pretty much disappear.... but sadly AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!

[Tiggy]

Celebrity aside, it is about the facility and those who stand to benefit from it. If you needed medical attention for your child you would not care who sponsored the facility, just that it is there. Though you may want to thank them afterwards for having been generous enough to open the facility that saved your child and many others. My hats off to anyone who does anything to help children!

[ailbhe]

Its a tax write off. Everybody else will have to pay more to make up the loss to government coffers. Chomsky best described it as 'welfare for the rich'. They get the good publicity though, have they ever given anything without sending out a press release to remind the world what wonderful, generous humanitarians they are?

[kattywacky]

Even if someone is in the top tax bracket of 35%, he's still paying $650,000 for a $1,000,000 contribution. Since when is it selfish to pay $650,000 to save $350,000?

Find something else to obsess about.

[Agentlady007]

I get it, this is supposed to make up for the wallpaper. Ok I buy that.

[happycat]

Ditto.

[LovingHope]

Wow, Brad is going to heaven for sure. He is such a good guy! With that saint by his side, there is no stopping them.

[lillibelle]

True...Jane Pitt is known to have the patience of a saint.

[Agentlady007]

Lilli, I wish I could paint your avastar for you and blow it up on a canvas with my painting oil on canvas --- 8 feet by ten feet.

[Agentlady007]

Of course God will forgive him for his lust for Tom Cruise in the Dracula movie.....