Stephen Colbert Presents $171,525 to the 'Yellow Ribbon Fund' Charity on 'The Colbert Report' for the Sales Generated by his WristStrong Bracelets

NEW YORK, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Once again, Stephen Colbert's call to action is heeded by The Nation. On last night's show, Colbert presented the Yellow Ribbon Fund with a $171,525 check, the proceeds raised to date through the sales of the WristStrong bracelets. He first donned the WristStrong bracelet during the August 20, 2007 episode of "The Colbert Report" in which he launched a "wrist awareness" campaign urging celebrities to wear a WristStrong bracelet. Heroes can log onto http://www.colbertnation.com/ to purchase a WristStrong bracelet.

On June 27, 2007, Colbert fell and broke his wrist during a taping of his show. The host was seen wearing a cast and getting celebrities (New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Katie Couric, Bill O'Reilly, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Tim Russert, Tony Snow and Brian Williams) to sign it. The celebrity-signed cast was then auctioned off on eBay, fetching $17,200 with proceeds also benefiting the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

Previously, Colbert has raised proceeds for other charities including DonorsChoose.org and Save the Children. During his Presidential bid to get on the South Carolina ballot, Colbert asked his viewers to contribute to DonorsChoose.org which benefits schools in South Carolina. The on-air mention raised $59,000 in 10 days and reached 13,000 public school students in South Carolina. In 2006, Colbert celebrated his one-year anniversary by auctioning off on eBay his famous on-set portrait featuring a regal Stephen Colbert standing in front of a portrait of a regal Stephen Colbert. The portrait garnered an impressive $50,000 for Save the Children. Currently, the third season portrait hangs in the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The Yellow Ribbon Fund http://www.yellowribbonfund.org/ assists injured service members and their families while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center by offering housing, transportation, job mentoring and internships, as well as tickets to sporting and cultural events.

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