Clooney Donates Oscar Gift Bag to Charity

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The Oscar was gift enough for George Clooney. <br/><br/>The winner of the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in ``Syriana'' has donated his overflowing Oscar

Thursday, March 16th 2006, 10:46 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The Oscar was gift enough for George Clooney.

The winner of the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in ``Syriana'' has donated his overflowing Oscar gift bag to the United Way, a spokeswoman for the organization said Wednesday.

The swag will be sold in an online auction to benefit the United Way Hurricane Response and Relief Recovery Fund, said spokeswoman Sheila Consaul. Clooney is a member of the charity's board of trustees, she said.

``This refocuses people back to the long-term nature of hurricane recovery efforts,'' she said.

The pricey gift bag given to presenters at the 78th Annual Academy Awards included a BlackBerry 8700c, a Kay Unger kimono and a cultured Tahitian-pearl necklace.

The entire collection will be sold to ``one very, very lucky bidder,'' Consaul said.

The auction will begin March 21 on the United Way Web site.

The winning bidder will also receive a handwritten thank-you note from Clooney acknowledging the donation to hurricane relief, Consaul said.