Remember when former US speedskater Joey Cheek was banned right before the Beijing games started for his Team Darfur activism? Well, the organization that got his original donation, back at the Torino Olympics, Right to Play, is getting some amazing support from some of the US athletes who have won medals in Beijing. As my pal Christine Brennan writes in USAToday, Johnson and Johnson is donating $20,000 per gold medal, $15,000 per silver and $10,000 per bronze won by those who have signed up to be Right to Play athlete ambassadors. Natalie Coughlin alone (above), winner of six medals, is responsible for $80,000 for the organization, which funds programs to develop coaching and facilities for disadvantaged kids all over the world. Other Chris’s point is that more medalists should sign up — the program only lasts until the games are over, and all that money is waiting on the table for the athletes to authorize. Michael Phelps alone could add $160,000, though all medalists should consider it.

Now every night when I’m watching those addictive event finals, I’m wishing the athletes would step up. They have such an enormous stage for such a short time. The kids who benefit from Right to Play could sure use their help.