Ravenwood - 06/03/05 08:00 AM
Since there is a general lack of media coverage over these types of events, a reader over at KdT, emailed about Denzel Washington's generosity to Fisher House. (emphasis in original)
They have buildings there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a hotel where soldiers' families can stay, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base but as you can imagine, they are almost completely filled most of the time.You know, I could do that too. (Just as long as they don't try to cash it.)While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his check book out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot. The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it.
UPDATE: The ever cynical Kevin Baker reports that it's mostly partly bullshit.
UPDATE2: The Denver Post picks it up.
Do a search on Snopes. Urban legend. Though Denzel Washington IS a big supporter of the Fisher House project. The story is just greatly embellished.
Posted by: Kevin Baker at June 3, 2005 9:56 AMI think that Mr. Washington is a closet Conservative.
Posted by: John at June 3, 2005 10:17 AMCalling it mostly bullshit is a stretch.
As Snopes admits - it is one of the largest donation the Fischer House ever recieved.
Rather, what it seems like is simply an exaggeration. The check wasn't written on the spot (it likely came a few days afterward - after Denzel did some follow up research) and it wasn't specifically for the cost of a new Fischer House (though it appears to be nearly enough and as I already stated - is one of the largest donations they ever recieved).
According to the Fisher House Foundation, when Denzel Washington was at Fort Sam Houston in December 2004, he did visit its Fisher House and learn of their need for additional facilities, and he did later make a substantial donation to the Fisher House Foundation (amount undisclosed, but it was described as "one of the most significant received in our history" by James Weiskopf, the foundation's vice president for communications), but he did not, as described above, "get out his checkbook" on the spot and write a check for the full amount needed to construct a new building.
I'd hardly call a little exuberant truth stretching "mostly bullshit". Seems the guy got most of it right - and he clearly beats the fake but accurate standard being set by the MSM.
(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014
