Free Republic

The United Way of Central Ohio adopted a policy yesterday requiring the 80 organizations it funds to sign a nondiscrimination pledge. Any group that fails to do so by the end of the year could be cut off from United Way funding in 2005. The moved is aimed at the Boys Scouts council in Columbus because of the organization's national policy against hiring gays as scout leaders or accepting them as members. Local scout Director Lee Shaw says he hopes to satisfy the requirement without jeopardizing the Boy Scouts' values. The central Ohio council received about $498,000 this year from...

Winston Churchill, who famously recommended against giving in, admired the Boy Scouts for their rock-solid principled stances that preclude giving in. In his 1937 book Great Contemporaries, Churchill wrote, "[The Boy Scout Movement] speaks to every heart its message of duty and honour: 'Be Prepared' to stand up faithfully for Right and Truth, however the winds may blow." Executives of Philadelphia's Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council announced Monday that they are about to give in to the radical Left after years of pressure to include homosexuals as Scout leaders. The council will soon unveil a new anti-discrimination policy that...

The stock market is up, but it's too little, too late for many charities. For the second year in a row, the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast expects to take in less money than it had hoped. The organization raised just $68.25 million last year, $10 million below its goal. The current campaign is projected to raise $65 million, perhaps less, campaign co-chairman Terry Koonce said. The goal was $70 million. The predicted shortfall is bad news for agencies that depend upon the United Way, some of whom also have lost other sources of funding. Many have cut...

Anchorage, AK (LifeNews.com) -- Mayor Mark Begich of Anchorage has shown his true colors during his first term by donating $25,000 to Planned Parenthood of Alaska following an annual city fundraising event. Money raised by the 2003 Mayor's Charity Ball was divided among four charities. This year, those randomly selected were the Anchorage Concert Chorus, the Imaginarium, the Covenant House of Alaska, and Planned Parenthood of America, the nation's largest abortion business. Each received one quarter of the more than $100,000 raised. Karen Vosburgh, Executive Director of Alaska Right to Life, said it was "amazing" and "bogus" that the state's...

They say charity's 'inclusiveness policy' forces its views on other organizations Denny and Allyson Weinberg are a couple who say it is important for them to do things together. That includes being co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in September against United Way of Ventura County. Denny, 51, a top executive with WellPoint Health Networks Inc., and Allyson, 49, a former well-known chef who owned four restaurants, have a history of community volunteering. They say their concern for nonprofit agencies, including the Boy Scouts of America Ventura County Council, is the driving force behind their lawsuit. The Weinbergs charge that United...

The United Way in Chicago and the Chicago Boy Scouts council are parting ways after the charitable group slashed the scout's funding by more than 90 percent. Leaders of the Chicago Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America said in a press release that the split was "amicable." However, gay rights groups say the split was the culmination of boycotts against the United Way in Chicago and relentless pressure. "As the Scouts and other nonprofits struggle in a weak economy for limited dollars, so has the United Way," said Lewis B. Greenblatt, the local Boy Scouts board president. "The...

The Chicago Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, has been a partner agency with the United Way of Chicago for many years. Over the most recent years, this partnership has provided significant funding for Scouting programs. Unfortunately, it has become non-beneficial for the council to continue with this partnership. The council’s allocation was drastically reduced by 92% for the current United Way of Chicago’s fiscal year. Taking all this into perspective, the Executive Committee of the council board passed a motion to remove the council from the United Way of Chicago’s partner agency program. And although these efforts may not...

United Way Capital Area to stop funding Boy Scouts 76-year partnership ends over Scouts exclusion of gays By Andrea BallAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFThursday, November 13, 2003After a 76-year partnership, the United Way Capital Area and the Boy Scouts are parting ways because the Scouts organization excludes gays. "Our value is that we raise money from the entire community," said Clarke Heidrick, chairman of the United Way board. "We need to allocate the money to agencies that serve the entire community." Boy Scouts of America, Capital Area Council, will lose approximately $157,000 a year, a little more than 5 percent of its $2.9...

After a 76-year partnership, the United Way Capital Area and the Boy Scouts are parting ways because the Scouts organization excludes gays. "Our value is that we raise money from the entire community," said Clarke Heidrick, chairman of the United Way board. "We need to allocate the money to agencies that serve the entire community." Boy Scouts of America, Capital Area Council, will lose approximately $157,000 a year, a little more than 5 percent of its $2.9 million budget. The group will ask its supporters to make up that loss with additional contributions, said Bruce Walcutt, the organization's president. "Frankly,...

In the wake of a controversial $1.5 million pension payout to a former chief executive, the United Way of America is changing its rules to prevent such payments from happening again. The CEO, Betty Stanley Beene, had served in the post from late 1997 to 2001. The $1.5 million payment was disclosed in recent United Way tax filings, according to the Washington Post. United Way officials have defended the payment as appropriate, with current CEO Brian A. Gallagher telling the Post that its size was based on Beene's salary and years of service in the United Way system, including 12...

GRESHAM, Ore. -- Gresham police say one charity is going too far by cutting off the Boy Scouts. The Scouts have been the center of controversy for not allowing homosexual leaders. The United Way now says groups with discriminatory rules will no longer receive funds. But the Gresham Police Association, a supporter of the Scouts, says it's a double standard. "An organization that purports to be nonpartisan should not be taking this action. And if they do, we don't want to have any affiliation with them, we don't want to be approached by them, we don't want their materials in...

The Gresham Police are cutting off the United Way. They'll no longer allow the charity organization to collect donations from officers, because the United Way stopped its support for the Boy Scouts. "Until they modify their anti-discrimination policy, we don't want to be solicited by them," said spokesman Paul Poitras. There's no word yet on whether or not the city will challenge the move by police.

<p>WASHINGTON -- The Boy Scouts of America fought for years to establish a clear legal right to keep gays out of its ranks, and won a major Supreme Court case three years ago. But that policy has since proved costly to the Scouts -- a price that is escalating.</p>

Last year, no group within United Way was more popular with local donors than Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Voting with their checkbooks and using the option of donor choice, givers designated $258,000 to go to the organization. Divided Donations Graphic/Journal Sentinel Charity The Series Sunday: A quiet revolution by charitable givers has been taking place since the early 1990s, and United Way officials across the country feel that they need to redefine themselves - or fade from power.Monday: United Way donors who designate a particular charity to receive their money probably have no impact on what that charity actually receives.Tuesday:...

First of three parts Across America, there has been a quiet revolution by charitable givers since the early 1990s. Some 5 million donors have stopped giving to United Way, according to a study by two national groups that analyze philanthropy. Even those who remain loyal are increasingly likely to split their gift between United Way and alternative charities outside the agency's umbrella. Divided Donations Sue Dragisic Photo/File UPAF sold itself as critical to the quality of life in the community. It was about more than the arts. United Way wasn't doing that. - Sue Dragisic,who took over as executive director...

<p>CEDAR CITY -- The executive secretary of Iron County United Way, the only paid employee, pleaded guilty to attempted theft in excess of $5,000 from the non-profit organization at 5th District Court Tuesday.</p> <p>Jennilee Stapleton, 44, 1484 S. 5050 West, Cedar Valley, was arrested in early March and charged with one count of theft, a second degree felony. Amended information filed with the court May 1 added five additional counts of forgery, all third degree felonies.</p>

<p>Starting this month, the United Way of Allegheny County will take a 15 percent cut of designated gifts to cover its overhead as part of a new campaign strategy announced Monday.</p> <p>The strategy also sets a first-ever goal, of $24.1 million, for its Impact Fund. Created last year, the fund is a pool of unrestricted contributions for 71 member agencies that United Way believes deliver measurable results for improving the quality of life in Allegheny County.</p>

Charity gears up for 1st campaign since its scandal A coalition of labor unions vowed Wednesday to help the Capital Area United Way with "unprecedented support'' in an upcoming fund-raising campaign. The charity soon will launch its first drive since a $2 million embezzlement discovery late last year. Official campaign goals have not yet been set, but board leaders appear focused on at least equaling the $6.9 million pledged in 2002. That could prove difficult in a sluggish economy, coupled with fallout from the embezzlement by the former finance chief - likely the largest ever from one of the United...

A United Way employee accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from the San Joaquin County nonprofit organization pleaded guilty Friday to all 23 felony charges against her. Corrine Cervantes, 46, had pleaded innocent in March, but on Friday she pleaded guilty to 19 counts of forgery and four counts of embezzlement, said Deputy District Attorney Scott Fichtner. "We had talked about the facts of the case and she expressed a desire to get it over with," he said. Cervantes has been held in the county jail in French Camp, but she asked Judge K. Peter Saiers to be released for...

After 80 years of providing financial support to local Boy Scout groups, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania voted July 31 to cancel all funding to Cradle of Liberty Council, the nation's third-largest, serving 87,000 youths in Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. The loss to the scouts is $400,862. Will you stop giving to the United Way?