www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/06/21/2009-06-21_stinging_words_hurled_rockers_way.html

Sting-ing words hurled rocker's way
Sunday, June 21st 2009, 4:00 AM

Daniels via Bloomberg

Sting with his wife, actress Trudie Styler.

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Sting and wife Trudie Styler are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Rainforest Foundation this year. But as a legion of supporters in Norway cheered the couple’s work last week, they found themselves fending off blows from an early ally.

Determined to rain on the foundation’s party (while at the same time capitalizing on it) is Clive Kelly. In 1989, the globetrotting British club owner accompanied Sting and Styler on a trip to meet Brazil’s Kayapo people. “Sting wanted to create a new image for himself,” Kelly tells us. “He saw me building a museum dedicated to the Indians’ culture. So he decided to steal my image! He even wore the boots I used to wear!”

Kelly photographed and filmed Sting with his body painted like a Kayapo warrior. Kelly says he also introduced him to the Kayapo chief Raoni Metuktire, who accompanied the rock star on a trip around the world to draw attention to the plight of Amazonian people.

Kelly charges that Sting and Styler have since forgotten Raoni, who, he says, now lives in poverty near the city of Brasilia. “I think Raoni is angry,” says Kelly. “He went all the way to Rio to ask Sting why he hadn’t kept his promise. Sting wouldn’t answer his calls.”

The Rainforest Foundation used his film and photos without paying him, Kelly alleges.

“Raoni and I have lost everything,” says Kelly, now 69. “I live in a hovel. We should have small pensions from the foundation.”

We couldn’t reach chief Raoni. But, according to Rainforest Fund chairwoman Franca Sciuto, Sting and Styler never “got any calls from him.”

“Sting was a human rights activist long before he met Clive Kelly,” says Sciuto. True, the couple haven’t stayed in touch with Raoni. “But that’s because they fulfilled their promise to him. His village was plagued by malaria. We moved the people to a malaria-free part of the forest. We brought in doctors. We set up an education program. In five or six years, I’d say we spent more than $10 million.”

Sciuto says the foundation continues to support the Kayapo with grant-making, but that the charity also now helps indigenous people in 14 countries.

“Clive Kelly is not credible,” says Sciuto. “I never heard anything about us using his film. He did once ask Sting to build a gallery for his paintings, which was totally out of our mandate.”

Despite his rant against him, Kelly isn’t above peddling pictures of the Stingster on his Web site.

He also allows, “I do believe the Rainforest Foundation is doing some good.”

Sciuto says that the foundation is stronger than ever. Though Charity Navigator gives its U.S. arm one out of four stars, Sciuto says its U.K. and Norway foundations are much more efficient.

“The U.S. foundation had some problems at a certain point,” she says. “Sometimes you have the wrong board.” But with the foundation’s biennial Carnegie Hall concert slated for next May, she says, “I have no doubt the U.S. foundation is coming back. In a few years, you will see it blossoming again.”



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/06/21/2009-06-21_stinging_words_hurled_rockers_way.html#ixzz0J7wueF2d&C

I had looked into the Rainforest Foundation several years ago to see if it was a reputable charity to donate to, and was sadly disappointed by what I'd found (glad to see the Charity Navigator info referenced in the article). Its a shame, really. To me, it always seemed to be more about an annual all-star concert for the elite. Nothing wrong with that, but to then mismange the funds raised is a letdown. If you're considering a global charity, I'd recommend the highly reputable Heifer International (www.heifer.org). Check it out if you have a spare moment - it's a fascinating concept and a successful approach that makes a *real* difference instead of just posturing.

Who knows if Kelly is an opportunist, but I'm sure that there are two sides to this story.

Oh jesus! Sting can't control everything that happens in a huge charity organisation operating over different countries, not to mention being an international rock star at the same time, what do they think he is? Superhuman? Sting and Trudie created the Rainforest Foundation, it doesn't mean they personally control the day-to-day operation of it but I'm sure they do their best to make sure that the right people are running it, maybe they don't always get it right! And if funds anywhere have been mismanaged I really hope they can resolve that quickly!
And, as regards that article, there will always be somebody trying to get rich by stirring up shit!

Project37...that is true as the Charity navigator looked into the RF a few years back they weren't satisfied with the then standards, but in the meantime this has been fixed and the watchdog organisation didn't have any reason to complain recently. A watchdog organisiation is absolutely necessary to maintain standards as there are enough charities which don't fulfil them regardless how often a watchdog organisation checks them out year after year.....

This Clive Kelly type, really is a piece of s***t. First stirring up trouble for everything and everyone out of selfish motives and then admitting that RF does good work....:-(

I totally agree with LD and TarAncalime ;-)

And as was stated in the article stated: "Sometimes you have the wrong board" Sometimes like in any foundation board members may not do what is right. As from what I have read about Clive Kelly he is an opportunist and thats the reason he tried to connect with Stings fame.

Way to go Lady D. my sentiments exactly.

Thanks, TarAncalime for the update. :) I hope that the US arm continues to get its act back together. It's hard to rebuild credibility after something like that. Charities all over the world are hurting under the current economy, so they literally can't afford to squander whatever they can raise.

Kelly just sounds bitter about Sting having moved on. He comes off as having wanted Sting to do everything for him (a gallery?!?).

That's why I liked the philosophy of Heifer, because instead of giving handouts, they help people to help themselves. Kiva.org is another reputable organization that works on that sentiment.

"One world is enough for all of us." :)

And it's exactly what Sting did in Nepal with Bobby Sager and his foundation. He lent money to help women doing carpetand selling on their own. This is the future of helping the Ldc: to give them the actual chance to build their own future.
Nobel award winning Muhammad Yunus docet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yunus

big suprise. STing is suck a prick. Wouldn't be the first time he has been bashed for doing something "unorthrodox"

I have never heard about this Kelly guy!

Where is Dutilleux? He introduced Sting to Raoni and he was again with Raoni some years ago in France!

I remember Ed Bradley doing a 60 minutes special on the Foundation about 10 years back, it was not pretty. I hope Sting knows what he is doing and is on the up and up. This is not good that another report emerges about the foundation. When you throw enough mud, some would stick. It also seems that since he capitulated on the Police reunion which fans have been craving for, now they got what they wanted, it's Open Season on Sting by the media.

You may be right Trini but are we sure they are trying to target Sting. It could be more that they are trying to attack Trudie. They love to start using the middle of Trudies forehead for target practice. And you're also right Trini about Clive Kelly not being credible, he is and always has been an opportunist.

This is Clive Kelly's website where is mostly asking for money for his photographs.

http://www.captainclivekelly.com/main.php

I dont think the media have any real problem with sting.Sure there is a little bit of news about the rainforest foundation ,and the odd neagative stories about his marriage.Im a massive sting fan, but lets be realistic here, Sting is not the big news sensation he was with the police or the start of his solo career.Other then stings biggest fans, i dont beleive there is that much interest from the average man in the street on what sting gets up to ,because he is not the superstar he once was.After 30 years this is hardly surprising, but the point im making is that there is now only a small minority of people who care what sting does outside his music career.