Every now and then, someone does something so cool that it takes a few seconds to wrap one’s head around it. Such was the case of Donna Vogel’s decision to donate of $85,299, her complete winnings on Jeopardy [check your listings for time], last year.
Vogel, a scientist from John Hopkins Medical Institute, said she did so because “Being on Jeopardy! last year was so much fun, but I felt like I didn’t ‘earn’ the money—I received it for playing a game. Need is enormous now, and contributions are down all over. I have a pretty comfortable life and so many people need this more than I do.”
Currently playing in this year’s Jeopardy Tournament of Champions, Vogel is, again, planning on donating her winnings to seventeen charities – especially those that deal with helping the hungry and homeless, and with global disaster relief.
Her next appearance is for the tournament’s semi-final, this evening.