Palm Harbor doctor provides $11,000 to save Jordin Sparks charity effort

When a high roller reneged on a $10,000 bid for a gift package benefiting a charity championed by  American Idol winner Jordin Sparks during a Tampa Super Bowl fundraiser, organizers fretted they might have a serious hole in their auction revenue.

But WFLZ-FM morning guy Todd "M.J." Schnitt rallied listeners Thursday, inspiring a Palm Harbor plastic surgeon to pony up $11,000 for a gift package including two tickets to Sunday's Grammy awards in Los Angeles, two plane tickets from Tampa and a designer ring valued at $9,200.

Dr. Jay Ross and his wife, Valerie Ross, are expected to appear on Schnitt's show Friday morning, to meet Sparks and talk about why they stepped up. "We love American Idol and my husband loves the Grammys, so this is wonderful," said Valerie Ross. "We have certain charities we regularly contribute to, but when this came along, it was too wonderful to pass up."

On Jan. 27, Sparks headlined a Super Bowl week party at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine in Tampa, where the singer and chef Roy Yamaguchi hosted a concert, auction and VIP-meet-and-greet for more than 600 fans. But when organizers approached someone who had originally bid $10,000 for the Grammy package, they declined to pay, forcing a search for a new donor.

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