Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
and I know of military people who got a bill from Red Cross afterwards !
This actually happened to my parents, way back in 1948. We lost our home in a huge flood...an entire town actually...and Red Cross stepped in to help. We stayed with some friends but the Red Cross brought us clothes and other things and even extra food for the family that took us in. Later on my dad actually received a bill for their "services". It ended up he didn't have to pay it because he was a college student with a pregnant wife and two small daughters. Till the day he died he never gave a penny to the Red Cross.
My husband retired from Emergency Management. I just asked him if he ever had any complaints about the Red Cross and the only thing that bothered him, he said, was that the Red Cross "acts like they are doing everything and don't give credit to all the groups that are there."
I remember my father telling me a story about the Red Cross in the Pacific Theater of WWI. He said they came in from combat and the Red Cross was making sandwiches. When they tried to take some they were told that the sandwiches were for the prisoners of war and that they couldn't have any.
That forever turned him against the Red Cross. He'd say, "If you want to support a good organization give your money to the Salvation Army, not the Red Cross."
Bingo! My father had a similar story from the European Theater of Operations during WWII. After having spent most of a long, cold night in the back of a transport truck, the guys were greeted by the Red Cross with hot coffee and sandwiches. The problem? They were expected to pay for it. The Salvation Army was there, too, giving away hot drinks and food.
They are also responsible for millions of blood drives held everywhere - all the time. Like many altruistic organizations I do agree that too much goes to the top of the organization. Their everyday workers don't make much; I interviewed for a job there and would have LOVED it but . . couldn't take the pay cut.
My father was a Red Cross volunteer for about ten years. He definitely responded in person to distribute supplies, clear debris, provide transportation, etc.
Two responses to the question of what's with the Red Cross, why after every disaster there always seems to be some scandal about the donations and now they're fighting a Freedom of Information Act request about it's handling of Hurricane Sandy related funds:
1) The Red Cross is a terrific organization and how dare people ask questions about what they do with the donations. They are the first ones at every disaster, it's just that the Red Cross volunteers don't identify themselves as being associated with the Red Cross. They do a lot of good work under the radar.
2) The Red Cross is so under the radar that they are often impossible to find in disasters, particularly in the beginning. They are reimbursed for much of the good work they do. If they are as aboveboard as they claim, why aren't they being transparent about how they spend those donations?
"Gail McGovern is our Red Cross president and CEO and is paid $500,000 a year — this is considered to be in the mid-range for a large nonprofit in the range of $3.4 billion a year." Article compared her salary to agencies such as the United Way.
But I was struck by this"
"For fiscal year 2010, the one-time cost of her relocation from Boston to Washington, D.C. — about $475,000 — was included with her regular pay in the latest Charity Navigator posting."
$475,000 to move from Boston to Washington, D.C.? You're kidding? It's 500 miles. How much stuff does she have?"
But back to the point, it's not what the CEO is paid, it is what is being done with the rest of the donations that is of concern. They turn a profit with the blood donation business, they charge for CPR classes, they are reimbursed for much of the disaster relief work and military assistance work they do, and people regularly report that the Red Cross is either nowhere to be seen during disasters or shows up late and does little.
Now it could be that Red Cross is doing good work, but on the down low. So let's see where that money is being spent. Not just overall figures of we spent 91% on disaster relief, but what exactly was it spent on. Food kitchen at XX from XX/XX to XX/XX. Shelters at XX.
Re-Loc would also include the Sale costs of her "Old" home, Cost of Travel for her and her family to DC to house hunt, (Normally two trips - Airfare, Rental Car, Hotel, Meals.), Any cancellation cost of for Contracts on her Old House. All cost for "Buying" her new home (Connection fees, Car Registration fees (Loss Value in Lost fees), The Move it self + Cars, Airfare for her + family, Hotel for week until she is moved in.
If She had to sell her "Old" home at a loss, the Re-Loc would pay the difference between the market value, then the Book cost. These costs add up fast. Its a normal cost of doing a re-loc.
I'm No CEO and my company paid for them for me to move from Pennsylvania to Georgia.
TV news here just broke in with a breaking news story about a fire in Philadelphia in which 4 children died and 40 families lost their homes. The fire is still being put out, firemen still working, yet the Red Cross is already there on scene. They've set up a temporary shelter at a local high school and are already taking care of people there and trying to find them clothes and whatever else they need including housing, while the firemen are still on scene fighting the fire. Seems like a pretty good response to me.
Last edited by ocnjgirl; 07-05-2014 at 09:45 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
