The document discusses 3 of the strangest charities in the world: 1. The ISPCA held a dog sledding fundraiser in 2010 that forced huskies to endure hours of freezing cold and running, which goes against the ISPCA's mission of preventing animal cruelty. 2. Tall Clubs International is dedicated to promoting awareness of tall people and offers a $1,000 scholarship solely based on being at least 5'10" for women or 6'2" for men. 3. The Order of the Azure Rose is a charity that does renaissance-era reenactments focused on chivalry and etiquette to fund their educational programs, despite chivalry being considered outdated by many today

1. 3 OF THE WORLD’S
STRANGEST
CHARITIES
B R Y A N T A T E

2. STRANGE CHARITIES
I am a huge proponent of charitable efforts and
philanthropic endeavors. Anybody who knows me
can attest to this. And while being generous is
absolutely an important societal factor, every now
and then there comes a charity that has an
interesting twist.
Just recently, famed saxophonist, Kenny G,
serenaded the passengers of a Delta Airlines flight.
While many were curious as to why they were
experiencing such a random mid-flight concert,
there was an honorable motive behind it: charity.
Kenny had managed to raise $2,000 for the
American Cancer Society. And while the charity
itself is not out of the ordinary, the “fundraising
event” was.
And this got me thinking, what strange charities
are out there in the world?
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3. ISPCA’S DOG-SLEDDING
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
against Animals is Ireland’s foremost animal welfare
charity. And, as most charities do, they held a
fundraiser event in 2010. Unfortunately, the event
was not exactly animal friendly. The ISPCA held a
dog-sled race in order to raise money. While the
motive behind the race was noble, the execution
was not necessarily well-thought out. The huskies
that would be used for the race would be forced to
endure hours of freezing cold and exhaustive
running, which is exactly the opposite of what the
ISPCA stands for. Needless to say, the event
received quite a bit of backlash.
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4. TALL CLUBS
INTERNATIONAL
This organization, founded in 1938,
is solely dedicated to helping
“promote tall awareness among tall
men and women, and within the
community.” The charity holds
multiple events such as social
gatherings, hikes and dinners. And
while this is somewhat strange
enough, the club even offers a
scholarship for being tall. The
$1,000 scholarship requires that
the student be in his or her first
year of college, and be at least
5’10” (women) or 6’2” (men).
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5. THE ORDER OF THE
AZURE ROSE
Many believe that chivalry in today’s society is dead. And this charity is doing something
about it. Founded in 2002, the Order of the Azure Rose is an educational lesson in
chivalry and etiquette in the form of renaissance-era reenactments. The organization’s
official website claims that all of the proceeds collected at events are spent on
bolstering their educational offerings, operational expenses and other charitable
donations. A noble motive, but a strange one nonetheless.
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