Justin Timberlake criticised for 'lack of time' spent with charity

Justin Timberlake has been criticised for not spending more time with the children of a charity he raised money for.

Timberlake first joined forces with Shriners Hospitals for Children five years ago, in order to host an annual Las Vegas celebrity golf tournament to raise money for sick youngsters.



Shriners is a network of 22 non-profit childrens' hospitals which treat orthopedic and spinal conditions, burns and cleft lip and palate regardless of a family's ability to pay for treatment.

Although Shriners has praised Timberlake for raising millions of dollars for the cause, representatives were unimpressed that the singer and actor didn't appear to be interested in spending time with the kids he was helping away from the golf tournament.

Tournament chairman Raoul Frevel told the Las Vegas Review Journal: "We're a world-class organisation. At the time we got involved with golf, we were told by the [Las Vegas PGA] Tour we needed a big name, and that's how our relationship with Justin came about.

"Justin's a wonderful person. But we tried everything we could to get him more involved with our kids and the hospitals. But it seemed that when the TV cameras weren't on, he disappeared."

However, tournament director Adam Sperling did praise Timberlake for bringing "star power" to the cause and his contribution to professional golf in the city.

He said: "The future of pro golf here in Las Vegas wasn't very secure when Justin and the Shriners came in five years ago. Justin added a level of cache and star power in a city that understands the value of that."