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Relay For Life
I am going to try and get to the Relay For Life this year. Last year I did not get to the actual relay, but this year I am going to actually do the walk with my friend whose grandpa died of cancer. Click on the pic and give some money for a good cause. Thanks
Project Meridian Foundation ROOFTOP Soiree Apr. 16, Washington D.C.
Catholics Investigating What Happened to ACORN Donations
The Washington Times reports this morning that the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the "peace and justice" national committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is investigating how the millions of dollars it has contributed to ACORN over the past few years was used. It looks like the CCHD has a new director who is questioning the organizations contributions since an embezzlement was made public in June at the organization and the bad press erupted over fraudulent voter registrations during the current election season.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Catholics probe aid directed to ACORN
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has hired forensic accounting specialists to investigate more than $1 million in church funding to voter-registration group ACORN, fearing the money may have been spent in partisan or fraudulent ways that could jeopardize the church’s tax-exempt status.
The investigation is "thorough, serious and ongoing," according to a July 11 letter to more than 200 bishops from New Orleans Bishop Robert Morin, chairman of the committee that oversees the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
The CCHD sent $1,037,000 to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in 2007, including a $40,000 grant to an ACORN affiliate in Las Vegas that was raided last month by the Nevada attorney general’s office in a voter-fraud probe.
The Catholic aid agency has given more than $7.3 million to ACORN over the past decade for about 320 projects, according to the Catholic News Service.
In June, the Catholic Church froze a $1.2 million grant for 38 ACORN chapters after the community-organizing group was accused of voter fraud in 15 states.
State elections officials and the FBI are questioning ACORN workers who submitted voter registration forms signed by Mickey Mouse and members of the Dallas Cowboys football team in their efforts to register voters in low-income neighborhoods, many of whom tend to favor Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama.
Mr. Obama once worked with ACORN as a community organizer and lawyer in Chicago.
"While there is value in registering low-income voters, I am concerned that the whole ban on partisanship has been violated," Ralph McCloud, the new executive director for the CCHD, said Monday.
Mr. McCloud said he could not reassure Catholics that the funds donated before 2008 were not used in voter fraud.
"There is no way we can tell," he said. "All our applications go through a rigorous screening, and we ask each organization to commit to being nonpartisan. The overwhelming reality is most of the groups we fund do tremendous work."
The CCHD draws $9,439,000 a year in "second collections" from Catholic churches, the next one slated for Nov. 23. CCHD funds go to groups that fight poverty, interfaith associations, peace and justice groups, immigrant aid groups, environmental coalitions, cooperatives, housing coalitions and labor rights groups.
Read the whole thing at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/04/catholics-probe-aid-directed-to-acorn/print/
Check out what wikipedia has on the founder of ACORN.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Rathke
Rathke is the publisher and editor of Social Policy magazine which covers the community organizing waterfront and is currently discussing regime change in the US. Their writers are glorying in helping put Obama in the Senate and they are sure – the White House.
Here’s some of an article by an old friend of the ACORN founder, reminiscing about their early days as community organizers and reporting that Rathke is stepping down as head of ACORN.
NOTES FROM THE LEFT COAST – Drummon Pike’s Blog
Wade Rathke has done something some would never have predicted. Resigned as ACORN’s Chief Organizer. Who ever would have imagined?
I met Wade in 1972, as best I can recall. Marge Tabankin and I were running the Youth Project (she was my boss) and had developed a bit of a competition to find the most impressive new organizers “out there.” The YP, begun in the Center for Community Change’s basement, was an operation to leverage foundation $$ into community organizing that involved young people – an attempt to bring the national movements of the day down into the everyday lives of disenfranchised communities. I came up with Mike Miller from Organize, Inc. in SF – a skilled, talented follower of Saul Alinsky’s Industrial Areas Foundation approach: parish based, working class organizing. Alinsky had defined the field in many ways and his Rules for Radicals was found on the shelves of an entire college generation at the time. Margie’s choice was this kid named Wade Rathke.
Rathke was this ornery, young red head in Little Rock, Arkansas that was a couple of years into what would become ACORN as we know it today. He’d dropped out of Williams College to work with the anti-draft movement, but ended up working with George Wiley on the National Welfare Rights Organization. He built an edgy, confrontational group in Springfield, MA and learned on the job how to push for a better break for welfare mothers. His yearning to return to the south led him to convince Wiley to back his hair-brained scheme to build a new kind of organization that expanded the range – low AND moderate income folks, but stretched organizationally beyond one city into a statewide, and ultimately national, approach where there were more levers of power.
So, when I showed up in Little Rock on that hot, humid day in 1972, I found something I hadn’t expected. New thinking, new ambition, new methods. Later, on a whim, I invited Wade up to train some organizers in Montana at the Northern Plains Resource Council. What I saw then truly convinced me that this was a special person – able to find common ground between welfare moms in Springfield, aggrieved neighbors displaced by a freeway being built through their Little Rock neighborhood, and land-rich ranchers in eastern Montana fighting coal strip-mining. What they all faced was an imbalance of power, and they were swimming upstream. He imparted wisdom, practical advice on strategy and tactics, and an invitation to think of themselves in a larger context.
[snip]
I am convinced that the light of history will shine on Rathke quite brilliantly. In his 38 years at the helm of ACORN, he achieved what few have ever done working with poor people. He showed them that, through their own devices, and when collected in significant numbers and willing, on occasion, to be “impolite,” they can win real, tangible victories. If you have ever attended a national convention of ACORN, you will know what I mean. And if you ever need testimony, just talk to one of the leaders of ACORN like Maude Hurd and before her, Steve McDonald, or any of the others. 400,000 families are members, and it is hardly surprising to see progressive national candidates for public office come and address the throng. America will never be the same for the ACORN he helped build from scratch.
Source: http://drummondpike.tides.org/index.php/2008/06/25/saultime-to-step-aside/
And here’s some of a very informative piece on Townhall.com by Carl Horowitz about ACORN and the Rathke brothers:
ACORN Cracks Wide Open
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, is a network of nonprofit community groups formed nearly 40 years ago on the premise that banks, corporations and insurance companies, immersed in greed, have kept poor and predominantly minority neighborhoods desperate. Within the past couple months, however, its leaders have been engaged in the more mundane task of spinning a scandal that already has claimed its most visible leader. To longtime ACORN critics, it’s a case of belated just deserts.
At the center of this storm are ACORN co-founder and chief organizer Wade Rathke and his brother, Dale. Wade Rathke is an almost legendary figure in progressive Left circles. Beginning in the Sixties as an SDS activist, he would go on to apply his talents to the National Welfare Rights Organization, whose principle legacy during its years of existence was a large expansion of welfare eligibility and dependency. Out of this experience came ACORN in 1970. Initially based in Little Rock and eventually in New Orleans, ACORN has become a giant oak tree. The group’s early agitprop rhetoric, as expressed in its People’s Platform, made clear its intent for the years ahead:
We are the majority, forged from all minorities. We are the masses of many, not the forces of few. Enough is enough. We will wait no longer for the crumbs at America’s door. We will not be meek, but mighty. We will not starve on past promises, but feast on future dreams.
From the start, ACORN has been unapologetically radical in both worldview and tactics. Taking its inspiration from Saul Alinsky-style neighborhood confrontation politics, the organization, now claiming about 1,200 chapters with some 400,000 households in the U.S. and abroad, prides itself in its ability to mobilize local residents into demanding and getting their fair share – regardless of whether the donations are voluntary. Right now, ACORN hopes to mobilize someone into replacing Wade Rathke.
[snip]
While not defending the behavior of the Rathkes, they [the ACORN group] maintain that in the larger picture, the theft (or unauthorized transfer of funds) doesn’t hold a candle to what businessmen and “right-wingers” routinely steal. Besides, look at the all the good ACORN has done!
Read the whole thing – I was amazed that all of this was flying under the radar for many years. A friend asked me yesterday: why has none of this made the news? It has, but you had to dig for it. http://townhall.com/columnists/CarlHorowitz/2008/08/09/acorn_cracks_wide_open
Julia
A call for help
I received this from Mail Our Military. This is a tragic story and we need to help PFC Hunter Levin, he has been very seriously hurt while in Baghdad. Please help cheer him up.
Help PFC Hunter Levine with Messages of Encouragement
This is a special eMail Our Military Action
Alert, we’d like to ask for your help in getting PFC Hunter Levine
cards and letters with messages of hope and encouragement. Get well
cards are a wonderful pick me up. Be sure to remain positive when
writing your messages to PFC Levine.
From 1SG Brian M. Disque
I
know a young man who is in desperate need of help. His name is PFC
Hunter Levine. He is 20 years old and hails from Houston, TX.He
was in my company and was wounded on 9 May, 2008 while conducting
combat operations in East Baghdad. He received a very serious injury to
his face, resulting in the loss of his entire bone structure, mouth,
nose, and vision.
He was evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital where the
doctors performed numerous surgeries to repair his face. I was
fortunate enough to attend a Purple Heart Ceremony at Walter Reed while
I was home on leave in June. I was also able to meet with Hunter’s
father Beau.Hunter was then transferred to a VA hospital in
Palo Alto, where the best care for his vision would be available. He is
a true fighter with a heart of gold.Bad News
Unfortunately,
I received some bad news from the hospital doctors. Lately, he has been
resisting treatment and being somewhat combative with the hospital
staff. He has had a few outbursts and the staff is real worried about
him. It seems like a serious case of depression is setting in.
Although his wounds on the outside may look bad, they may never compare with the wounds he has on the inside.I
spoke with him on the phone this evening, and he seemed real down. The
reality is that he still has a long road to recover and may never see
again. This young man has everything to live for and is a true
inspiration. He is exactly the kind of person we would all want in a
brother, son, or friend. I feel obligated to try and rally some support
for him. I know we have a lot of caring people out there who would love
to do something special for an outstanding American who gave his all
for his country.Call to Action
If
you know of any church groups, school room classes, or other benevolent
organizations that would be interested in assisting this brave young
man, please forward this message on to them.He
is a pretty typical young man, so he likes sports and other typical
young men stuff. A small care package with some goodies and such would
mean the world.
Again, please forward this message to as many people
as you know. It would be so great if we can all give way together and
show Hunter that his country will never forget his sacrifices or
service. He is down and needs our help.Thank you for your support, it means everything.
V/R, 1SG Brian M. Disque
C CO 2-30 IN
"Our Country, Not Ourselves!"To send your card or letter of support, encouragement and well wishes to PFC Hunter Levine, please contact eMail Our Military.
Breast Cancer
Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site
is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site
daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram
a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to
go to their site and click on ‘donating a mammogram’ for free
(pink
window in the middle). One click does not magically provide a mammogram
to a needy woman – it takes 45,000 clicks, not just one. They normally average 58,000 clicks per day, that’s approx. 1.3 mammo’s a day! You can do this once a day for as long as you feel giving.
This doesn’t cost you a thing, just one minute of your time. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers
use the number of daily visits to donate mammograms in exchange
for advertising.
Here’s the web site!
Please, pass it along to people you know.
(http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/)
AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS, TO TELL 10 FRIENDS, TO TELL 10 FRIENDS….Thank you.
Relay For Life
I know that I put this up earlier, but it has been a while. But me and my friend are going to do the Relay For Life here in BelleVegas. And it would be great if you would help us out and give a little for a good cause.
So go to my page and donate or join me for some fun for a good cause.
Relay For Life®, the
American Cancer Society’s signature event, is a fun-filled overnight
experience designed to bring together those who have been touched by
cancer. At Relay, people from within the community gather to celebrate
survivors, remember those lost to cancer, and to fight back against
this disease. Relay participants help raise money and awareness to
support the American Cancer Society in its lifesaving mission to
eliminate cancer as a major health issue. During Relay For Life ®
events, teams of people gather at schools, fairgrounds, or parks and
take turns walking or running laps. The events are held overnight to
represent the fact that cancer never sleeps. Through the survivors’ lap
and the luminaria ceremony, we honor the people who have faced cancer
first hand, and we remember those who have been lost to this disease.But, Relay isn’t about taking laps — it’s about coming together in
the fight against cancer. It’s a time to remember those lost to this
disease and celebrate those who have survived. It’s a place where
people connect with others, share the cancer experience, and find
comfort and solace. And it’s an opportunity to build hope for a future
where cancer no longer threatens the lives of the people we love.As volunteers and donors, your efforts support research, education,
advocacy, and services that allow the American Cancer Society to offer
help and hope to people across the country when they need it most. By
joining together at Relay, we celebrate life, friendship, and an
opportunity to work to defeat cancer for future generations.Sign up today to become a part of the Relay For Life® effort in your community, and you too can fight back against cancer.
American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life
I have joined one of my friends team for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. I would like for any of you out there to help the cause. I know the blogosphere did a good job for Fred and I know that they can do a good job for a worthwhile charity. Please help us out.
Dear Family and Friends,
I’ve decided to take action against cancer by participating in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life® event right here in my community. Relay For Life® is about celebration, remembrance, and hope. By participating, I am honoring cancer survivors, paying tribute to the lives we’ve lost to the disease, and raising money to help fight it.
Please help support me in this important cause by making a donation. It is faster and easier than ever to support me by making a secure, tax-deductible donation online using the link below. If you would prefer, you can send your contribution to the mailing address listed below.
Whatever you can give will help – it all adds up! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.
Sincerely,
Douglas Welch
To make a donation online, visit my personal page.
To send a donation, make all checks payable to: American Cancer Society
#5 Schiber Ct
Maryville, IL 62062Double Your Money
Many employers offer matching funds programs. For example, if you gave a $50 donation it could turn into $100. Please inquire with your personnel/HR department to complete the paperwork required to get your gift matched. Visit our Matching Gifts page.American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
You have the opportunity to fight back against cancer year round by joining the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. For a donation of $10, you will become a part of a growing organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major public health problem. Through issue campaigns and voter education, ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers and candidates to support laws and policies that will help people fight cancer. You CAN take action. We CAN save lives. Join CAN today, at acscan.org.Mosaic Of Memory
You can also memorialize your loved one by creating a Mosaic Of Memory. Visit the American Cancer Society Mosaic Of Memory web site to build your own memorial site dedicated to your loved one.
Privacy Policy | State Fundraising Notices
My Profile | http://www.cancer.org | http://www.relayforlife.orgCopyright 2007 – 2008 © American Cancer Society, Inc.
All content and works posted on this website are owned
and copyrighted by the American Cancer Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
I’D LIKE THIS BACK IF IT APPLIES
I’D LIKE THIS BACK IF IT APPLIES
A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closetShe
poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three
times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for
mistakes.Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and
twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6
blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with
the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. & lt; BR>She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was
too busy at this moment Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise.
Nothing.
She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster.
No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the
glass counter. That did it!"And
what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.
I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen in ages," he
said without waiting for a reply to his question."Well,
I want to talk to you about my brother," Tes answered back in the same
annoyed tone. "He’s really, really sick…and I want to buy a
miracle.""I beg
your pardon?" said the pharmacist"His
name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my
Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle
cost?""We don’t se ll mira cles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
The
pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked
the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need?""I don’t know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know
he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.""How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly.
"And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to."
"Well, what a coin cid ence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents—the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and
with
the other hand he grasped her mitten and said "Take me to where you
live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I
have the
miracle you need."
That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in
neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well.Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.
"That surgery, her Mom whispered, was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost…one dollar and eleven cents….plus the faith of a little child.
In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.
A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law. I know you’ll keep the ball moving!
Here it goes. Throw it back to someone who means something to you!
A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end. It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends. But the treasure inside for
you to see is the treasure of friendship you’ve granted to me.Today I pass the friendship ball to you.
Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you.
MY OATH TO YOU..
< BR>
Wh en you are sad…..I will dry your tears.When you are scared…..I will comfort your fears.
When you are worried…..I will give you hope.
When you are confused…..I will help you cope.
And when you are lost….And can’t see the light, I shall be your beacon…..Shining ever so bright.
This is my oath…..I pledge till the end.
Why you may ask? ……Because
you’re my friend.Signed: GOD
INSTANTLY
WHEN YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER, YOU ARE REQUESTED TO SEND IT TO AT LEAST
10 PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO SENT IT TO Y OU .
Pin-Ups for Vets
The beautiful
Gina Elise has come out with another calendar to help out out soldiers.
People ask me all the time how the “Pin-Ups For Vets” calendar project came to be…
A
few years ago, I started seeing news articles about under-funded
Veterans’ healthcare programs. Then, there were stories about older
Veterans who lay in bed day after day, never receiving any visitors.
Reports started surfacing on TV about the severe injuries sustained by
our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.The
more I heard about the uphill battles of our Wounded Warriors, the more
convinced I was of the need to produce a project that would bring in
funds to support all of our hospitalized Veterans.My
late Grandpa Lou served in the army for 4 years during World War II. I
wanted to do something to honor his name. I always loved the romance
of those bygone eras – especially the 1940’s – and I drew inspiration
from the World War II pin-up girls, whose photos and paintings boosted
morale for our soldiers fighting overseas.I came up with the idea to recreate a nostalgic pin-up calendar that would serve three purposes:
1. The calendars would be sold to raise funds for our hospitalized Veterans.
2. The calendars would be delivered as gifts to our ill and injured Veterans with messages of appreciation from the donors.
3.
The calendars would be sent to our deployed troops to help boost morale
and to let them know that Americans back home are thinking of them.Thanks
to the wonderful “Pin-Ups For Vets” supporters who purchased hundreds
of calendars, the 2007 fundraiser was a success. Here’s a quick re-cap
of the 2007 highlights:*** I made many visits to our hospitalized Veterans and Wounded Warriors to deliver the donated calendars.*** I mailed hundreds of calendars to our courageous deployed troops,
to our honorable retired Veterans, and to supportive civilians here at
home and around the world.*** I partnered with a non-profit group to arrange the delivery of
hundreds of care packages to our troops overseas.*** I raised thousands of dollars for programs that benefit hospitalized Veterans.
*** I received two American flags that were flown by military units in
Iraq in honor of the "Pin-Ups For Vets" project.
*** I rode in a "Salute to Veterans" parade and sold my calendars there.
***
This past year, the California Jaycees Foundation and the California
Junior Chamber of Commerce selected me as an “Outstanding Young
Californian” for producing this project to support our Veterans and
troops.Dedicated to those who serve our country…
I
dedicate this calendar to all of our ill and injured Veterans who are
hospitalized in facilities all over the U.S. and overseas, to their
hard-working caregivers, to our retired Veterans who have honorably
served our country, to the military families who have made so many
sacrifices, and finally to the courageous troops who are currently
serving in the United States military.A Reminder from Gina Elise. . .
Please tell your family and friends to visit my website at http://www.pinupsforvets.com to order a “Pin-Ups For Vets” calendar with a credit card by selecting the “Order Now” button or by mailing a check to: Gina Elise, P.O. Box 14, Redlands, CA 92373.
Please
send me a photo of yourself posing with your calendar, so I can post it
on my website’s “In The Field” pages. That section is my favorite part
of the website because I get to see the wonderful faces of the project
supporters! Thank you all so very much.
With much love and appreciation,
Gina Elise
Website: www.PinUpsForVets.com
E-mail: PinUpsForVets@aol.com
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