Rantings and Ravings

By Sun Advocate

As I write this, Florida is recovering from Hurricane Wilma.
It wreaked havoc and affected lives in ways those of us who have not lived through a natural disaster will ever know. Our nation is great for rallying behind the need for help when great numbers of people are affected by disaster.
My granddaughter’s school is doing a fund raiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina. We are going to participate in it. I know there are a lot of people who need help to put their lives back together. I hope the money raised gets to individuals who need it.
I personally have concerns about where all the money goes that gets raised for big disasters. I would like to see some accountability for the funds that are raised. My concerns began when huge amounts of money were raised for victims of 9/11. When we began to tally up the total amount raised by various groups-each surviving family and victim should have received a huge monetary amount. Did that happen? I truly don’t know. I hope those we raised money for got it.
Last December we began raising money for the tsunami victims. Many of us gave money so that the individuals could rebuild their homes and buy new fishing boats. I have seen a few stories about people getting back on their feet, but with the amount of money that was raised; I would expect a follow up of great successes.
Who handled the money? Was it just one group or several? How was the money spent? How much went for administrative costs?
Having worked for non-profits, I know that you can’t do the work you need to do without a good administrative structure. Good people also deserve to be paid good salaries. So as I ask these questions, I just want to know that the money raised is used to best help people. I do know that some may need to be used to pay salaries to keep the organization going. We all want assurances though that excessive amounts are not being siphoned off to let a few live the high life.
It is a fact we will have another disaster soon that will demand our compassion and assistance. I will be ready to support the need for financial help that will come. I will be careful to watch which groups account for the funds they have raised to help in past disasters and only give to them.
I hope everyone is as careful with their generosity. The money will do no good if those who need it don’t receive it.