Wingert Racing for Charity

Fresh off of helping Real Salt Lake capture the 2009 MLS Cup title, defender Chris Wingert is now taking on professional athletes from other sports in a race of giving.

Out of 60 athletes from various professional sports such as skateboard-icon Tony Hawk and the Pheonix Suns' Steven Nash, Wingert currently sits in fourth place on the money raising leader-board. The idea of the competition is to see who can raise the most money for his/her charity of choice by January 15, 2010.

Wingert's cause, Rural Ghana Children's Aid, seeks to provide, "sustainable education for children in rural Ghana through community collaboration. Community matches each dollar raised thrugh self-sustaining model. Academic instruction, cultural identity, sports."

The leader so far is Major League Soccer's own Diego Gutierrez with, 'Nothing But Nets' malaria prevention. Hawk, who currently sits in second place, is raising money to build a skatepark in Watts. While the third best money raiser - at press time - was Nash who is fighting for Educare Arizona - a world-class preschool for at-risk children ages birth to five years, with teacher training, public policy and health platforms to ameliorate lives of families in poverty.

Donations will be accepted until January 15. "The athletes who raise the most money on behalf of his/her project in that time, and those who receive the greatest number of donations will win additional bounty awards of $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500, respectively (total of $30,000 in bounty awards)," said the Athletes For Hope site.

For a current view of the Athletes For Hope leader-board, go here.