Jett Travolta Foundation: 10 Percent Goes to Scientology
You may wonder whatever happened to the Jett Travolta Foundation. The 16 year old autistic son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston died after hitting his head during a seizure in the Bahamas on January 2, 2009. Since then, a foundation set up in his name has given away roughly $56,000 according to the organization’s Form 990 filings.
The 2009 filing doesn’t list specifics, but the newest filing–for 2010–shows that 14 separate donations were made in Jett’s name on March 23, 2010. Of the group totaling $27,850, one — for $2,500–was made to a Scientology detox charity in Ocala, Florida. The others included $5,000 apiece to the Starlight Children’s Foundation and the No Limits Limbs Loss Foundation, and $2,500 to the Marion County Sheriff’s Foundation in Ocala, Florida–where the Travoltas live.
The Travoltas also gave $250 to the Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Foundation — it’s a disease affecting loose joints and hyperelastic skin–but nothing for autism research (Travolta told the Bahamas police in their report that Jett was autistic) or Kawasaki Syndrome, which the couple always insisted was the illness that afflicted their son. Other donations included $2,500 to Central Florida Community College for a scholarship in Jett’s memory. In February 2010 the Travoltas held a fundraising screening for their Foundation; some of the proceeds went to the Scientology detox for firefighters in their community. http://www.cf.edu/news/archive/Travoltatickets011910.htm
Thanks so much for your donation to EDNF. Your giving gets the name out of this devastating, debilitating disorder that many doctors have not even heard about. Unfortunately, we have no “poster child” to get the word out so many are not even diagnosed. Most of us have suffered years or decades before getting a diagnosis! THANK YOU :-)
Thank you to the Travoltas for thinking of the Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation. As people with a rare and incurable connective tissue disorder, we are often left undiagnosed by the medical community and then ignored and denied by the Social Security Administration when the condition becomes disabling. All too often, we are simply called ‘crazy’ because we look like everyone else. Sometimes, our parents are even accused of child abuse because of our unstable joints and easy bruising. As adults, we are often accused of ‘drug-seeking’ behavior because of unmanaged pain. The Travoltas’ act of giving and taking notice of us is deeply appreciated.
Indeed, that $250 donation to the EDS certainly was “charitable” of this couple.
As someone who has suffered EDS many many thanks goes to the Travolta’s for the charitable donation for research to the EDS foundation. Thanks again!