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Name: DerbyDad03
Disclaimers:
- I have nothing against "Jerry's Kids".
- I have nothing against volunteer Fire Fighters.
- I have willingly donated to both in the past.I'm driving to work this morning and I see a slowdown at a fairly major intersection in my town. As I approach the intersection I see caution cones separating the lanes and firemen in their bright green vests walking up to cars with a boot in hand, collecting donations.
Ah, the annual fund drive for the volunteer fire house just down the street. No problem.
So I grab a few dollars, wait my turn and drop the cash in the boot. The fireman says "Thanks!" and hands me a sticker which reads "I Helped Fire Fighters Help Jerry's Kids".
I'm not sure how to feel. On one hand, I'm sort of mad that they "fooled" me into thinking I was donating to the fire house. On the other hand, I started wondering if I could put up cones at a major intersection, don a green vest, grab a boot and approach cars to collect money for my daughter's softball team.
Impeding traffic to collect money that will eventually come back to help that community is one thing. However, to impede traffic for a major organization like MDA, and to trick us by using local firemen just doesn't seem right.
Oh, I'm sure it was posted in our town newspaper, or there was a blurb on News First At Ten or something like that, but it still seems just a little underhanded.
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I refuse to donate to any organization other than the United Way. In using the United Way one has an opportunity to ear mark their donations to any one or more various charitable organizations or leave it to the UW to donate for you!
Change Is Good
http://www.citizenlink.org/Stopligh...
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OtH, yeah, I know. But that's not the point.
Even if they had a permit, it still gave the impression (at least to me, and to a neighbor I just spoke to) that they were collecting for the fire house, not for some other charity.
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The old bait and switch. They play on your sympathies for a cause you believe in and then give your money to someone else.
Oh wait, That might be my ex-wife.
On the other hand, United Way has been shown to really waste a lot of the money that they collect.
Their CEO was under investigation not to many years ago.
I donate the Disabled Vets. I'm a vet, though very fortunately not disabled, but it's about the only ones I give to regulary.
The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.
- Henry Kissinger
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I give to a few charities every year but, they are charities I choose. Anyone on a street corner permit or not is a panhandler in my book. We have a ton of them here. At least once a month it is on the news or in the paper how some one taking donations stepped into traffic and got hit. They quit giving permits for this type of thing here long ago because of this and yet almost every day now there is some group of panhandlers out there. They mostly claim to be for some school or the other. Now and then I see a group holding a car wash for some charity these I may stop for If I have the time and can make a nice donation. They don't normally seem to think they belong on the road with a 3500lb. plus moving vehicle. Also they put forth some sort of effort for the money other than just begging on the corner like a comin drunk.
I was a volunteer fireman for years here in my area. We went door to door. If they want my money they can do the same.
Likely
Practice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
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The firemen do that here. Ours is a full time paid fire dept. It is called fill the boot. The proceeds go to The Muscular Dysterphy Foundation. Our Knights of Columbus sells peanuts like this. The proceeds go to our local facility for mentally and physically disabled persons.
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