It's personal: Michael Jordan is more charitable than the media tells you



Michael Jordan gives back far more than he gets credit for.

After six NBA championships and a Hall of Fame career, Jordan is now known most for his Air Jordan brand, memes of him crying, and compilations of him expressing personal grievances that fueled his athletic prowess.

'Did you get all the stuff?!'

What does not get as much media play is Jordan's long history of charity toward low-income communities, disaster relief, and sick children.

In fact, even when Jordan was being mocked with the "it became personal" meme following the airing of his 2020 Netflix documentary, "The Last Dance," he was giving millions to feed the hungry during the Christmas season.

In late November 2020, months after the documentary released, Jordan donated $2 million of profit from the movie to Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief program. He focused on the Carolinas, where he played college basketball, and Chicago, where he won his NBA championships.

This came at a time when the organization had announced that more than 50 million Americans were struggling with food bills due to COVID-19.

What may be even more notable, though, is Jordan's history with the Make-A-Wish organization.

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As the NBA reported in 2019, Jordan has been chief ambassador for Make-A-Wish since 2008, donating more than $5 million to the charity while granting hundreds of wishes over a 30-year span.

His donation totals catapulted in early 2023, when Jordan celebrated his 60th birthday by giving a whopping $10 million donation to Make-A-Wish, the biggest contribution the company had ever received.

But what is seemingly more impactful than his donations is Jordan's willingness to reach out to young fans of his who are struggling, sick, or even similarly to him, a meme.

The latter is exactly what happened to Jeffrey from Spokane, Washington, in 2016. Jeffrey was spotted wearing Jordan's Chicago Bulls gear at a local basketball park. Viewers were shocked at how similar he looked to the NBA legend, and the video quickly became a laughing stock online as it appeared an adult man was mimicking a professional athlete.

However, Jordan became aware of the nuanced details of the story, including that Jeffrey was developmentally disabled. He has a seizure disorder, mild retardation, and autism. His mother told reporters that Jeffrey was diagnosed at the age of 4 when he complained of painful headaches.

Just months after the meme took off, Jordan sent Jeffrey a massive haul of Air Jordan goods — and even gave him a phone call.

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"Did you get all the stuff?!" Jordan is heard asking Jeffrey. After Jeffrey confirmed, Jordan followed up, "Is it enough?!"

The two laughed. "Enjoy yourself, and I'm going to be watching for you," Jordan added.

"All right ... I love you," Jeffrey threw out to his hero.

"Love you, man," Jordan replied.

The greatest basketball player of all time, who famously said, "Republicans buy sneakers too," has made so many charitable donations that the NBA has an entire page dedicated to his philanthropy.

It notes $2 million of relief funds to victims of Hurricane Florence in 2018, $500,000 to stock libraries and preschools in Charlotte in 2016, and $250,000 to food banks in 2012, among many other donations.

In November 2025, Jordan continued his tradition of helping others during the holiday season, with a $10 million donation to a North Carolina medical center in honor of his mother.

The Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, will name its neuroscience institute after Deloris Jordan, according to ESPN.

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Make-a-Wish reverses ban on unvaccinated kids; charity now states it 'will not require anyone to get vaccinated to receive a wish'



Make-a-Wish has reversed its ban on granting wishes to unvaccinated children and their families.

What are the details?

A viral video surfaced last week of Make-a-Wish president and CEO Richard Davis saying the charity will "resume granting air-travel wishes within the United States and its territories, as well as granting wishes involving large gatherings for vaccinated wish families, as soon as Sept. 15 of 2021."

Make-a-Wish stopped granting wishes involving air travel in early 2020 amid the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Davis added in the video that "all wish participants, including your wish kid and any siblings, will need to be two weeks past completion of either a one-dose or a two-dose vaccine."

And while Make-a-Wish said it would not require vaccination proof, Davis also said in the clip that all adults must sign a "letter of understanding that certifies that they and any minors participating in the wish are vaccinated and understand the risks of traveling at this time."

This is literally a new low for humanity. Terminally ill children will not be granted a wish.. from the make a wish… https://t.co/q6IyxRmsT9

— Pelham_3 (@Pelham_3) 1624519776.0

As you can imagine, reaction against Make-a-Wish's move was swift and severe, with commenters calling it everything from "utterly vile" to "absolutely disgusting."

Reversal

But on Sunday, Make-a-Wish released a statement saying the charity is reversing the decision, noting that it now "will not require anyone to get vaccinated to receive a wish."

"We understand that there are many families whose children aren't eligible for the vaccine yet, and we also know that there are families who are choosing to not get the vaccine," the statement also read. "We respect everyone's freedom of choice. Make-a-Wish will continue to grant wishes for all eligible children."

Anything else?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccination for those 12 years of age and older. However, the World Health Organization notes that "children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults, so unless they are part of a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions and health workers."

The WHO adds that "more evidence is needed on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in children to be able to make general recommendations on vaccinating children against COVID-19."

The Truth Is Out There ... | 6/28/21
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The Truth Is Out There ... | 6/28/21

Make-a-Wish Foundation will only grant wishes to terminally ill children who are fully vaccinated



The Make-a-Wish Foundation, the organization that creates "life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses," announced that the nonprofit will only grant wishes to terminally ill children and their participating family members if they are all vaccinated against COVID-19. The announcement was made by Make-a-Wish president and CEO Richard Davis in a video that went viral this week.

"We've approached this responsibility with a focus and diligence for your families health and safety," Davis says.

"Now we've consulted with doctors and medical professionals throughout the National Medical Advisory Council," Davis says in the video. "We've been monitoring public health organizations like the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics."

Davis noted that based on the guidance of public health agencies, they will "resume granting air-travel wishes within the United States and its territories, as well as granting wishes involving large gatherings for vaccinated wish families, as soon as Sept. 15 of 2021."

Make-a-Wish stopped granting wishes involving air travel at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.

However, Davis said that the charity would require the critically ill children as well as any participants from the family to be two weeks past full vaccination in order to granted any wishes from the organization.

"All wish participants, including your wish kid and any siblings, will need to be two weeks past completion of either a one-dose or a two-dose vaccine," Davis says in the video.

The Make-a-Wish Foundation will not require proof of vaccination, but it will need all adults to sign a "letter of understanding that certifies that they and any minors participating in the wish are vaccinated and fully understand the risks of traveling at this time."

The CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccination for anyone 12 years of age and older.

Healthline reports, "On May 10, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents as young as 12 years old."

The WHO website reads, "Children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults, so unless they are part of a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions and health workers."

"More evidence is needed on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in children to be able to make general recommendations on vaccinating children against COVID-19," the WHO states.

"WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) has concluded that the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine is suitable for use by people aged 12 years and above," the health agency's advisory states. "Children aged between 12 and 15 who are at high risk may be offered this vaccine alongside other priority groups for vaccination."

In the video clip, Davis doesn't appear to explain the protocol for critically ill children under the age of 12, who are not permitted to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

This is literally a new low for humanity. Terminally ill children will not be granted a wish.. from the make a wish… https://t.co/q6IyxRmsT9

— Pelham_3 (@Pelham_3) 1624519776.0