While Heavin did donate a total of about $5 million to three health centers that are not exactly pro-choice, none of them had any association with Operation Save America or other confrontational groups, as the articles alleged. The Chronicle quickly published two lengthy corrections, but by the time it did, the popular Web bulletin board Craigslist was swimming with anti-Heavin diatribes. “The owner of Curves is evil” read the headline on one.
A group of club members banded together to form Curvers for Choice, a group that raises money for pro-choice causes. “My Curves workouts are my healthiest habit,” writes the founder of the group, who gives her name only as Teresa on its website. Heavin optimistically estimates that, at most, 400 of Curve’s 4 million members quit the club. Of course, no one can count those who chose not to join in the first place because of the bad publicity spurred by the Chronicle articles. Additional Information
 The Domino's Effect
Matthew Schuerman, a Brooklyn resident, writes on philanthropy and teaches at New York University. ms189@nyu.edu Illustration by Max Grafe
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