I was reading a moving article on NYTimes.com today - As Families Gather at Dover, Efforts to Ease Pain [1] - that had a surprising fact... President Obama Gave $250,000 Of His Nobel Prize Money To Help Build A Hotel?!?!

The military is making more caring arrangements for the families of soldiers killed at war, when they are returned home to Dover Military Base in Delaware, including building a small hotel for grieving families, and I was surprised to read "The nine-suite hotel is to be built by the Fisher House Foundation, which erects free lodging near military hospitals for the families of recuperating service members. This Fisher House, as they are called, is to open in the fall and will be built, like the others, largely with donations. Mr. Obama, who witnessed the return to Dover of 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan this past October, gave the foundation $250,000 of his 2009 Nobel Prize [2] money, most of which will go to the new Dover lodging. For now the military puts families up in town." In fact, this is the cause to which Obama has given the most of his Nobel money.

The list of causes Obama has supported with all of his $1.4 Million in Nobel Prize Money seems calculated, to say the least. He gives the most to give comfort to these families suffering the ultimate losses of war, when they first see the presence of death of their loved ones - he is Commander in Chief and so responsible for this. Next, he supports relief efforts for the most harmed in the world, right now... the people of Haiti... with a tip of the hat to former Presidents Bush and Clinton, seemingly working in concert. He gives the next greatest amounts to advance high potential people of all types in America - white, American Indians, African Americans, Appalachians - and he then gives smaller equal allotments to support African and Central Asian progress.

Classic Obama.

Classy Obama.

Now, to end war itself.

From the Washington Post [3], a list of all the causes President Obama funded with his Nobel Prize Money:

Obama's Nobel Prize money going to 10 charities

by Scott Wilson
Three months after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, President Obama announced Thursday the charities that will benefit from his $1.4 million cash award.

In a statement issued by the White House, Obama said, "These organizations do extraordinary work in the United States and abroad helping students, veterans and countless others in need. I'm proud to support their work."

In October, when Obama became the third sitting U.S. president to win the award, he pledged to give away the cash prize to charity. He formally accepted the prize in a December ceremony in Oslo, Norway.

Here is the list of the 10 charities and summaries of their work, according to the White House statement:

$250,000 to Fisher House
Fisher House provides housing for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers.

$200,000 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund
The fund, headed by former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, is raising money for long-term relief efforts in Haiti after its devastating earthquake in Haiti.

$125,000 to College Summit
College Summit partners with elementary and middle schools and school districts to strengthen college-going culture and increase college enrollment rates, so that all students graduate from high school career and college-ready.

$125,000 to the Posse Foundation
The Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse's college and university partners award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. The scholars graduate at a rate of 90 percent.

$125,000 to the United Negro College Fund
The United Negro College Fund plays a critical role in enabling more than 60,000 students each year to attend college through scholarship and internship programs.

$125,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is the nation's leading Hispanic scholarship organization, providing the Hispanic community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. In its 34-year history, the fund has awarded close to $280 million in scholarships to more than 90,000 students in need.

$125,000 to the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation
ALEF supports and enables young men and women from Appalachia to pursue higher education though scholarship and leadership curriculum.

$125,000 to the American Indian College Fund
The fund transforms Indian higher education by underwriting and creating awareness of the unique, community-based accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities, offering students access to knowledge, skills, and cultural values which enhance their communities and the country as a whole. The fund disburses approximately 6,000 scholarships annually for American Indian students seeking to better their lives through higher education. The fund also provides support for tribal college needs, ranging from capital support to cultural preservation curricula.

$100,000 to AfriCare
AfriCare has more projects in Africa than any other U.S.-based charity, reaching communities in 25 countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Its programs address needs in three principal areas: health and HIV/AIDS; food security and agriculture; and water resource development.

$100,000 to the Central Asia Institute
The institute promotes and supports community-based education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Its co-founder, Greg Mortenson, was also a Nobel Peace Prize nominee this year, whose book, "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time," recounts his attempt to successfully establish dozens of schools and promote girls' education in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan.

By Scott Wilson  |  March 11, 2010; 3:51 PM ET