Elvis Presley is Driving Force Behind Fund Drive

November 27, 2010; Source: MSN.com | For one foundation, Elvis Presley is still very much the king, and a lifesaver too. For a second time, the MED Foundation, which raises money for the Regional Medical Center in Memphis—a trauma clinic that serves people in a 150-mile radius—is selling Elvis Presley automobile license plates. This time, though, the plates, which sell for $19.95, and bear Presley’s picture and signature, are souvenirs and can be purchased from the foundation’s online store by anyone anywhere in the world. According to the Associated Press, the 2005 plates, which netted the foundation $100,000, were the only real ones that could be sold to licensed Tennessee drivers. This time, by selling souvenir copies of the license plates, the foundation hopes to accommodate people from places like Germany and Japan they had to turn away five years ago. “We realized there was obviously a demand for something similar to the authentic plate for fans worldwide,” said Tammie Ritchey, executive director of The MED Foundation. All proceeds from the sale of the plates, after deducting manufacturing costs, will be used for the hospital’s new Trauma Training and On-Call Center, which is scheduled to open next month. Elvis Presley Enterprises granted the use of Presley’s name and image at no charge to the foundation.—Bruce Trachtenberg