The plot thickens.
One thing is clear. Danny Gokey is not connected in any way to Danny Gokey Gear, run by a fan selling “Designer Eyewear Worn by Danny Gokey on American Idol”, in partnership with FramesDirect.com, with a portion of the proceeds supposedly going to Danny’s charity, Sophia’s Heart Foundation.
And in fact, Danny Gokey twittered, just a few hours after MTV ran a story about Gokey gear, calling it a scam, “Many companies r claiming 2 partner w/ Sophia Heart (clothes, eyewear, ect). They r all SCAMS. We have not seen 1 penny nor been contacted.”
Well, not so fast. MTV got back in touch with Joe Monaghan, the fan in question, who sent MTV a copy of an email he sent to Sophia’s Heart. Also, the donation system at SHF is down, so those wanting to make a donation, couldn’t anyway.
“It really aches to hear him say that. We have made contact with SHF … it seems he has ignored that e-mail, ” Monaghan wrote in an e-mail. “Also, their donation system is down. I attempted a donation this evening and the system replied that ‘An Error Occurred’ And ‘An Email has been sent to our team about this issue.’ So, I guess we will have to wait until they fix it to make our donation.”
Monaghan also sent MTV News an e-nmail he received from the Sophia’s Heart Foundation ‘ dated May 28 ‘ which seems to back up his claims that he had contacted the charity.
“Thank you for your support and interest in Sophia’s Heart Foundation. Your desire to help out the foundation is greatly appreciated, ” the e-mail reads. “We are excited about our future. Together, we can touch the lives of countless children, youth and families.”
Of course, a legitimate business organization with plans to split sales proceeds with a charity wouldn’t be using a freaking donation button on a website to do it.
There’s a hornets nest of issues going on here. Monaghan should never have gone ahead with his venture without having all of his ducks in a row. From the misleading advertising on the FramesDirect.com site, to proceeding without a proper partnership with SHF, this was a project made of total FAIL.
But there’s plenty of blame to go around. Danny, clearly a newbie at running a foundation, doesn’t seem to have a handle on his business. His stint on Idol put a very bright spotlight on SFH. Either he reacted before he had his facts straight, or SHF is so disorganized and badly run, there’s no way to know the facts Public displays of cluelessness and confusion are no way to get a fledling foundation off the ground…
