Know your charities: I would like to dedicate this month’s Veterans News to talking about scams at the holidays. This is one of the busiest times of year for “scammers” and I would like to point out a few things that our senior citizens and their children can do to prevent loss of valuable assets. This is often a popular time of year to give to charity, so let’s start with a look at a few of the major “charities.”
The American Red Cross President& CEO gets $651,957 per year plus expenses. Give your blood, not your money! The March of dimes gives one dime for every one dollar given to the needy. United Way President makes $375,000 plus expenses. UNICEF’s CEO makes $1.2 million (wow!); Goodwill owner Mark Curran profits $2.3 million per year (you donate to his business, and he sells it for profit. He does employ people at minimum wage.) Wounded Warriors Project: I don’t even want to discuss it.
Put your money where it will do some good:
Make-A-Wish Foundation for children: 100 percent goes toward trips or special wishes for dying children. St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 100 percent toward helping children fighting major illnesses. Ronald McDonald Houses: 100 percent toward housing and feeding families of critically ill children who are hospitalized. The Commissioner of the Salvation Army makes a whopping $13,000 a year to manage a $2billion organization; 96 percent of donations go to the cause.
There are a lot of great charities; just make sure you pick one that does the most good. And don’t forget our local projects: The Manna Food Project, the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society are a couple of my favorites. There are a few others in the area that do good work, too; feel free to call our office if you have questions about a charity you have in mind. (231) 348-1780
Our seniors are most vulnerable to scams.
Our senior citizens (that’s me) are the ones most vulnerable to donating due to their big hearts and some just don’t quite understand who or what they are giving to. If you have elderly parents, you would do well to check on them as to their giving, even check their bank statements and checkbooks. Don’t let scammers take what they spent a lifetime working for! If they have a PC, a lot of scams are being e-mailed every day, so warn them not to answer any questions on the phone or open emails they are not familiar with.
And this is for everyone: If you receive a phone call for donations, tell them to mail the info; most will hang up.
Passing thoughts at the end of another great year
Our office experienced another great year in getting our veterans the benefits that they have coming. I would also like to point out that this office is funded by Emmet County (your tax dollars) and we have come in under budget every year that I have been here (10 years) and we have increased veterans benefits by over a million dollars every year. With this being your tax dollars, I would like to tell you that we are here to assist any resident regardless if you are a veteran or not. We may not have an answer for your question, but we will work hard to get an answer for you.
With that, Rick and I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and may the New Year be the best one yet for everyone! Semper Fi
Jim Alton is the Director of the Veterans Affairs Department within Emmet County. Alton served in the United States Marine Corps (1955-62) and is retired from the Michigan State Police. Reach him or his assistant, Rick Wiertalla, at (231) 348-1780 or [email protected]. His column appears each month in the Petoskey News-Review.
