Here, using insidegov.com's database, are the disclosed political donations* for majority NFL owners dating back to the 2008 election. Why Should Tim Walz Even Bother Debating Scott Jensen? The Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) mission is to ensure elections are secure, voters have confidence in election outcomes and democracy thrives as civic engagement grows. It's the customers. NFL Owner Political Donations: Who Gave to Obama AND Rubio? - The Big Lead 7) It's not trying influence, but trying to share philosophies of life and stories and thoughts about a certain set of values, which really transcend business, nonprofit, as well as the political arena. "I know Bernie's heart. This is not a protest. MATTIE'S CALL: A 9-month-old baby girl was reported missing from the Ellenwood area with a man police say was diagnosed with a mental illness. It is my hope that we take this terrible moment in our history to elevate that conversation toward productive action and lasting, positive change. People are scared and in pain. >> The Arthur M. Blank Foundation announced on Wednesday a new series of grants focusing on mental health and well-being in response to America's growing mental health crisis. The portfolio includes nearly $10 million in grants to 12 nonprofits that represent a diverse set of organizations with a strong presence in Georgia and the Southeast. So that's really what it was about. In a time when more than half of Americans are dissatisfied with the state of our democracy, the most powerful way to demonstrate and have our voices heard is through the vote. They survived. So I would fight for that and surround myself with people who believe the same thing, because you have to have that brain power in every institution or corporation or nonprofit. These are not political issues, they are human issues that need serious, earnest attention from leaders and . This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. For years, Americans have fallen prey to the con of wealthy businessmen who want to build shiny new sports arenas yet dont want to pay for them. Arthur Blank on Trump policies: 'Troubled by anything that Owner Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Flacons reacts before a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on November 10, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Show up at the polls on June 9. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images), WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), >> Go home. The wealthy propose tax increases on the poor and middle class to pay for their new stadiums, and they claim that new businesses flocking to the area will magically cover the costs. And that's all part of his story of redemption and his story of being a changed person. The Number of White Teachers About to Get Fired is Exactly Zero. But my mother would say to me, You know, what you have to say is important. How? And so he speaks to people throughout the United States, young people primarily, about that. So it was good. Blank Launches New Voter Education Project - Atlanta Jewish Times I had another NFL player, while [Vick] was in prison, come visit me and say I came from exactly the same neighborhood, but it was in a part of Pittsburgh. So sadly, Michael was raised in an environment where that was kind of normal behavior, if you will. We expect to learn a great deal from these groups and have that learning inform our strategy on voting access and civic participation in Georgia and beyond. After stepping down as CEO of Home Depot in the early 2000s, Blank's interests centered on a variety of Atlanta-based sports franchises and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, a private foundation that has awarded over $560 million. We believe that voting rights are critically important, and our home state of Georgia is at the center of the struggle. My suspicion is that while Dungy and Tirico and dozens if not hundreds of other NFL leaders may have been surprised by Grudens racist imagery, they arent as unfamiliar with his other boys club stupidity. His percentage of giving back from his estate will be equal to mine and some of his philosophies don't exactly match mine. They put my mother, my brother and I in the living room with one of them and the other was searching the house, looking for cash that wasn't there. The Blank foundation also emphasizes environmental sustainability and aims to support programs that foster this message in the Westside. United States, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. follow. Arthur M. Blank is responsible for the sorry state of the Falcons. GALEO engages in advocacy, creates opportunities for engagement and networking, and develops leadership skills for Latino community members. It's good to be different, said Blank, but he said it's the intolerance of some that worries him about the future. We want to see the system that sets up for systemic racism burned to the ground. Founded in 2010 as the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center (AALAC), the organization became part of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation in 2014. This is not the legacy of civil rights in America. This is chaos and were buying into it. The latest of Blank's many charitable endeavors is aimed at helping the museum expand its reach. The rescue team said the man was buried up to his neck in soil. He notes pervasive cynicism about corporate leaders and perceptions that the drive for profit comes at the expense of public good. Soccer fans don't want to feel like they go into a stadium and they're a second-class citizen citizen. And Ambassador Young, another good friend would say the same thing. %PDF-1.4 Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is married to Angela Macuga, his third wife. Kimball previously served as the vice president of network support at Teach for All. All the issues that Colin [Kaepernick] raised at that time [2016-2107] about the social injustice and lack of equality and equity in the criminal system and all those issues, I think they were real then and they're certainly real now. Arthur M. Blank Foundation donates over $5 million for mental health And if all goes to plan, its also going to help a depressed community thats heard big talk before. Despite being widowed at a young age, his mother managed the familys mail-order pharmaceutical business and sold it to a large retail conglomerate. And he recently gave $250,000 to committees supporting Joe Biden, Forbes reported. When he came out, he was on house arrest and I took a meal to him and his family from his favorite restaurant here in Atlanta. JFIF K K C Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons - Sports Illustrated But you want your core values to be the same, ideally. Now, the last game we had in the Georgia Dome before we moved to Mercedes Benz Stadium in August of 2017, wewere honoring all of our ring of honor members and he was one of them. Ticket pricing was higher than it could have been or should have been at that time, and so I brought Dick Sullivan over from Home Depot, the gentleman who now runs our PGA Superstores and we came up with a strategy that we've got to sell season's tickets for $100. But its the NFL itself that should be held to greater account and responsibility than it ever is. And so he's used that time since he got out of prison and giving back to community, speaking to young people. "It's healthy to disagree on things, but it's not acceptable to not be kind.". %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz The NFL owners club is a remarkable collection of avaricious gargoyles. We are better than this We are better than this as a country. Arthur Blank co-founded the Home Depot in the late 1970s after being fired from a regional hardware store chain in Southern California. Political Donations: Blank has largely donated to Democratic causes, most notably: $32,400 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2013; $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund in '08; and. Philanthropist Arthur Blank has thrown his support behind a new voter education initiative aimed at young people. CEIR works to build voter trust and confidence, increase voter participation and improve the efficiency of election administration. Resistance to Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Futile. Max died when Arthur was 15, leaving his mother to grow what became a multi-million-dollar business. !, And listen to me, be careful where you are getting your information to JOIN protests!! The family foundation has already invested over $20 million into the surrounding community. The Atlanta media thrashed Arthur Smith, Terry Fontenot, and Arthur Blank about their interest level sometime after the news broke. Blank donated another $35,500 to the Democratic National Committee, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Falcons' Blank excited about building around Ridder at QB /SM 0.02 She was a woman of great principle, great personal authority. And the Falcons new stadiumscheduled to open this summerwith an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, $200 million coming from Atlanta hotel-motel taxesis definitely big and shinny with tons of gadgets to enhance the fan experience. But this is where the similarities with most other stadiums end. A study by ESPN and FiveThirtyEight in October 2020 showed Blank is a bipartisan contributor to political campaignsbut contributed more to Democratic candidates from 2012 to 2020. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. It's a beautiful thing. Arthur Blank is an American entrepreneur and a co-owner of the home improvement retail giant The Home Depot. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. In our case, the fans, customers, guests or grantees, whatever the case may be, you're going to find out the ultimate truth of what you need to do to build a business response to issues, spot opportunities, deal with problems, whatever it may be. Arthur Blank: I was fired from Home Depot - YouTube Were usually very happy to talk, very happy to share our opinions and what have you I have enough humility to understand that the people were serving know better. Home Depot Cofounder Arthur Blank on Politics, Supporting Biden I think back when I lived in a neighborhood, you know, a small neighborhood, when my mother and dad were alive, we all took care of each other. The Falcons leadership knows how to play politics. ", It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy We have to be better than this moment. Bernie has great values and Bernie cares deeply not only about our faith, but about giving back. Given its footprint, we have good rights to expect a lot more from this monolith. Arthur Blank's Wives & Family: 5 Fast Facts | Heavy.com You know, better than in the 40s and 50s, but not where we should be. But, we really could not have done it without great service, great pricing, and great product knowledge. And next thing I know, he was sitting on his knees and with a gun to his head. Hopefully we'll get back in the playoffs, but not as well as the first three years. The perceived linebetween politics and sports further blurred when Major League Baseball's union chief said players are ready to discuss moving the 2021 MLB All-Star Game out of Truist Park. Its appalling how heavily-to-tightly-managed entities, especially those controlled by a small cluster of well-heeled egos turn into shuddering eunuchs at the thought of riling just an ugly faction of its consumer base. /Producer ( Q t 4 . PDF Arthur blank politics A documentary surrounding Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian's surrogacy journey is set to air on RT on March 13. So when we started, MLS was ranked like 22nd among all the leagues in the world. "This notion of divisiveness has become, in my humble opinion, maybe, post-Civil War, probably one of the most stressful times I've ever seen in our country," he said. Georgia Politics FOX 5 Atlanta ATLANTA - Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United Owner Arthur Blank said Tuesday afternoon he believes voting should be made "easier, not harder for every eligible. Yeah, It Could Have Been Worse. I mean, you know, all those things. So, I would say it was very successful. "People are coming from different places, which is okay, but it's not okay when they're disrespectful; it's not okay when they're not kind.