Posted on 11/25/2004 5:34:53 AM PST by truthandlife
A pro-family organization has issued an alert to those who may be considering giving to one of the nation's largest charities this holiday season. The group's spokesman is warding donors away from United Way, and he also wants shoppers to know a thing or two about Target stores.
Bob Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute, says the United Way has been crossed off his gift list. That is because the well-known charity refuses to share its money with the Boy Scouts of America while it openly supports numerous pro-homosexual groups with its money.
"I don't know why people still give to United Way," Knight says. He contends that people are already giving to government bureaucrats by paying taxes, so he asks, "why would you give to a group of private bureaucrats who have decided as a group that the Boy Scouts are worthy of being kicked out of various chapters across the country."
The Scouts had been a long-time beneficiary of United Way funding, until pressure from the homosexual community led to the BSA groups nationwide being cut out because their national organization promotes faith and moral values and prohibits homosexuals from serving as scoutmasters. Since then, at least 50 United Way chapters across the U.S. have excluded the Boy Scouts from a share of their fund-raising drives, claiming the BSA's Christian values are discriminatory.
But it is the apparent discrimination against the Scouts by the United Way that has angered Knight. Although not all the nation's United Way chapters have severed ties with the BSA, he points out that "the national headquarters has done nothing to stop the trend." Meanwhile, a major portion of the money the charity collects is being given to pro-homosexual groups.
CFI's director is urging individuals who are seeking out charitable giving opportunities to consider the manner in which the BSA has been treated by the United Way, and the organization's ongoing financial support of the homosexual agenda. Personally, Knight says, "I wouldn't give them a dime."
Unfortunately the United Way is not the only major U.S. organization that is drawing the pro-family leader's ire. In a recent interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network, he mentioned the recent announcement by Target that the retailer would not be allowing non-profit groups to solicit outside its stores this year. This means the familiar Salvation Army bell ringers will not be able to set up their kettles and collect donations at Target locations this shopping season.
Knight feels people of faith should be outraged over the retailer's actions. "Millions of Christians give Target millions of dollars," he says, "and what have they gotten from Target in return? A lump of coal. I think they ought to be ashamed of themselves, and I think consumers ought to take this into account when they do their Christmas shopping."
Salvation Army officials say Target stores nationwide helped raise about nine million dollars through last year's kettle campaign. Major George Hood, a spokesman for the Christian service organization, says the new policy prohibiting nonprofits from soliciting outside the department stores will hit some local communities hard.
"One Salvation Army officer said to me that the Target money that's raised in his community represents 75 percent of the income that he has in that community," Hood says. "When you begin to strip budgets of 75 percent of a revenue stream, it means that some very difficult decisions will have to be made in those local communities about what they will be able to do during the holidays with families, and what they will be able to do all year long once the Christmas season is over."
Still, God is in control, the Salvation Army representative notes. He says he is trusting in that truth, and he also believes many Christians who normally might have contributed at Target will help make up any deficit in the season's collections by increasing their kettle donations at other retail locations.
Exactly. Many folks don't know that United Way is actually just an umbrella organization for many many charities.
The United Way has a nice scam going with many corporations and government employees through payroll deductions. They have been very corrupt for years.
Staying away from Target will be no problem. They are highly overated anyway.
In my area the United Way is more about networking for business than charity.
As for target, there are far better or equal competitors.
Our good friends at the ACLU say no.
Any store that doesn't have 100% cotton long johns is useless anyway.
I-)
Snopes is not always right. I don't know about the Starbucks thing, there's been articles about it on FR - a search would work.
A couple of years ago I checked out Snopes concerning some Hitlery Clinton stuff I knew to be true (after having read a number of books about the Clintons) and Snopes got it wrong. Actually I checked a couple of things (unfortunately I can't cite chapter and verse.)
They were started by a liberal husband and wife team, and they get their info on Google just as anyone else does.
They are not infallible and they are biased.
When one gives to charity it should be considered charity. After all when one is generous and compassionate enough to consider giving, shouldn't they be able to give to their charity of choice with comfort?
As soon as the issue with the Boy Scouts came about, not a dime of my income has gone to the UW period! (however , with the political clout involved in donations it may cost me my job eventually.....)
Thank you TS, for your post is greatly appreciated! : )
20% toward abortion and 80% toward their self promotion through politics.
Subject: The Salvation Army
Dear Target Guest,
Like many nationwide retailers, Target Corporation has a long-standing
"no
solicitation" policy that it consistently applies to all organizations
across all of its stores.
We receive an increasingnumber of solicitation inquiries from
non-profit
organizations and other groups each year and determined that if we
continue
to allow the Salvation Army to solicit then it opens the door to any
other
groups that wish to solicit our guests. While some ofour guests may
welcome
the opportunity to support their favorite charity or cause, allowing
these
organizations to solicit means that Target would also have to permit
solicitation by organizations whose cause or behavior may be
unacceptable
to our guests.
We notified the Salvation Army of our decision in January 2004, well in
advance of the holiday season, so the organization would have time to
find
alternative fundraising sources. Target also asked the Salvation Army
to
look at other ways that we could support their organization under our
corporate giving guidelines. To this date they have not provided a
proposal
that fits those guidelines.
Local Salvation Army chapters can apply for grants through their local
Target stores. For decades, many non-profit organizations across the
country have successfully worked with Target in this manner. We are
asking
the Salvation Army to work with us in the same exact manner as the
other
groups and organizations who ask to solicit our guests.
This decision in no way diminishes Target Corporation's commitment to
its
communities. Target has one of the largest corporate philanthropy
programs
in America, donating more than $2 million per week and hundreds of
thousands of volunteer hours each year to the communities in which it
does
business.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Hanson
Target Executive Offices
guest.relations@target.com
Stopped giving to the United Way about 5 years ago. They don't do anything worthwhile anyway. They are just a middleman. They take the money you give, and they disburse it as they see fit. I can decide how I want my charitable contributions spent. I don't need them to do it for me.
I looked through search. The posting gave quite the contrary to what was told to me. Starbucks IS donating coffee to the troops. I can go on drinking their coffee then.
Question for your chapter is, "Do you contribute anything to the Scouts BEYOND DIRECTED CONTRIBUTIONS?" If they don't then they are no better than any other UW chapter. They realize you'll support the Scouts and all they are doing is taking a cut for their overhead of overpaid and papmered employees.
You should have seen all the "wealthy women" (based on appearance) that I encontered at the Wharton School who turned out to be professional "fund raisers".
Snopes is not always 100% correct, but the sources they cite are generally verifiable. If you read the Starbucks case, you can see how these types of rumors get started.
Just look at how many posts in this thread state incorrect information about Target ownership. It would be so easy to check the history of Target stores, but too many are lazy to do that. And people wonder why so many fall for the lies of the left, or the MSM? Fact is most people take alot of what they hear has fact until proven otherwise, rather than having some healthy skepticism about stories that seem far fetched, or a bit too convenient.
I remember reading about the Starbucks thing some time ago, and it got thoroughly hashed out on FR, with the right conclusion being drawn.
I just like to point out now and again that Snopes is not infallible, and anyone can do a Google search themselves, and that the Snopes' founders are self admitted liberals.
As far as Targay is concerned, screw 'em.
I've heard bad things about United Way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.