Denzel Washington fulfills vow to Fisher House Star fulfills vow to Fisher House

Washington, wife make 'significant' gift, will serve on the military family foundation's board

FORT SAM HOUSTON - Months after visiting a military hospital and promising to help families of wounded U.S. soldiers, actor Denzel Washington has come through in a big way.

Washington gave one of the biggest donations ever made to Fisher House Foundation Inc., which operates guest facilities for families with loved ones recuperating in military hospitals, an official at the nonprofit said Wednesday.

"Denzel and his wife, Pauletta, did send us a check with their donation," said James Weiskopf of Rockville, Md., the foundation's vice president for communications.

"While we do not disclose the amount of a donation without approval from the donor, we can acknowledge that it is one of the most significant received in our history," Weiskopf said.

Washington and his wife also accepted the foundation's invitation to serve on its board of trustees, he said.

The actor's involvement with Fisher House resulted from a stop six months ago at Brooke Army Medical Center, where many troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated for injuries.

During the December visit, after learning Fisher House provides inexpensive lodging and other support for recuperating soldiers' families, Washington vowed to help the organization.

The pledge was captured — and convoluted — by the Internet rumor mill and within weeks a widely circulated e-mail, which was exchanged throughout the service ranks, erroneously stated Washington pulled out his checkbook at Brooke and made a huge donation on the spot.

The e-mail had a life of its own, said Fisher House officials, who were barraged with inquiries about the donation and how it would be spent. Efforts to clarify that the donation was promised and still pending often were ignored.

Weiskopf said the Washingtons' gift, received several weeks ago, was "undesignated," meaning the couple didn't specify how the money should be used. That decision will be made by the board, he said.

john.gonzalez@chron.com