OldSchool :
Most famous people who give to charity make sure somebody’s watching. Elvis Presley did the opposite. Starting in 1961 and continuing for the rest of his life, he sat down every Christmas and wrote cheques to more than 50 charities in Memphis — often totaling over $100,000 a year. He didn’t do it for a photo opportunity. He didn’t take the tax write-off. Most people in his own city had no idea it was happening.
The list of who got the money tells you a lot about him. It wasn’t fashionable causes. It was the American Cancer Society, the Arthritis Foundation, the Kidney Foundation, Goodwill Industries, the Braille Institute, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, a maternity home, the Salvation Army, the Fraternal Order of Police, and Boys Town in Nebraska. Ordinary local charities, doing unglamorous work.
The numbers were serious money for the time. In November 1962, he handed the Mayor of Memphis a $50,000 donation. Just before Christmas in 1963, he was back in the mayor’s office with $55,000 to be split among 58 local charities. By December 1966, the annual figure had reached $105,000. He also pledged over $10,000 to the Memphis Jewish Community Center building fund.
2026-10-18 19:44:58