The Importance of Affirmative Arguments for all of our Applicants

Hi Everyone!

Based off of our recent conversations in class, I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of negative generalizations made about specific organizations that are used to discredit them or support other organizations. Although these generalizations may have some truth to them, they over simplify the complicated nature of the non-profit organizations and may be used to place other organizations in au unfair, better light. Of course, this just stems from the large amount of passion our class has for helping Broome County and donating to what we believe is the "best" organization. However, I believe that this method of persuasion may be unhelpful or counteractive in making a completely informed and objective decision. To try to combat this bias, I thought I might provide some affirmative arguments for all of the organizations and try to clarify or break down certain generalizations that we as a class may be making.

To begin, I'd like to start with the YWCA, as it was our first site visit. The YWCA applied for a program grant that would be funneled into a fund that would either support housing women who are homeless or have lost their home or the Young Wonders program. According to the YWCA's executive director, there seems to be more need or demand for support for the Young Wonders program, so most likely our donation would be allocated towards helping 2 children attend this program. The parents of these children would have to pay for half of the tuition for this program, however, this is a fairly affordable form of childcare available in the county. The fact that only 2 children will be directly helped is definitely a weakness, however, many of the children involved in this program have mothers who also receive help from the YWCA (whether it is in the form of housing, drug addiction, or providing job skills). Yes, the program is expensive, but childcare in general is a costly service, as caring for a child is very demanding and there are numerous regulations the state requires. The program has also shown success as graduates are known to be well behaved when they enter public school.The YWCA charges very little more than what WCC charges. Finally, although the YWCA will be receiving a $1.9 million endowment, it is unclear when this money will come in, changes in wills can and often are made, and the YWCA provides a multitude of expensive services to the community that need to be accounted for. The YWCA is pretty generally well known, however, they do not have a large surplus of income (if at all) at the end of the fiscal year to funnel back into their organizations.

Next, we visited CHOW. CHOW applied for a grant that would cover the costs of a Summer Care Package Program which would provide meals for families over the summer. This is important because many families and children rely on schools to receive at least two meals a day. However, when school closes for the summer, this reliable source of nutrition is taken away. CHOW plans on using our money to feed 30,000 people. Although many view CHOW's work as a "Band-Aid" fix, their distribution of food would reduce stress at home regarding where the next meal would come from and could help create a happier and better experience for families at home. Additionally, their employment program employs various members of the community and provides them with skills to find employment after graduating the program. Although this program is not where our money would go, our money would be able to shift funds so that potentially CHOW could expand on or focus on this program. An impressive 40% of graduates from the program were able to obtain employment in 4 weeks.

Thirdly, we visited the Boys and Girls Club. I think many believe that based off of the condition of the site, well-known and financially wealthy donors, and the established reputation of this organization indicate that this organization is well off and doesn't need our donation. However, in their application for an operating grant, they state that due to large cuts from a variety of sources (including and especially United Way), they have had to close the center down earlier and on school holidays. Any form of a grant could allow this problem to be resolved. The program they applied with was the Teen Summer Employment Program, where 6 teens would be employed over the summer and given job skills and experience. This would boost their confidence, potentially alleviate family stress at home regarding paying bills, and give them the tools to eventually obtain a job and become self-sufficient. This is especially beneficial to the teens who come from underprivileged backgrounds and may have trouble seeing themselves attending college or obtaining a job that pays better than minimum wage.

Next, we visited the Mental Health Association. Their Compeer program would provide youth with trained mentors who serve as role models and a support system for these at risk youth. This program is reliable and has been operating for 5 years with success. Youth may be referred to affordable health care providers and through social events and communication with other members of the program as well as mentors are taught better social skills and ways to manage unhealthy feelings. Some have graduated the program and gone on to college, and the families and schools are heavily involved in this program. One challenge this program may face is that MHAST is having a hard time finding people willing and able to become mentors. Although many college students may show interest, it is hard for students to be mentors as they leave over the summer and the youth need consistent support. However, since our donation will be matched, maybe the organization will use this extra money to hire someone who is an expert in marketing or on advertising the program to the community. It may be unrealistic to say that our donation could help 70 individuals as there is currently a shortage in supply of mentors. However, this could change. The organization also partners with DSS and CPS and ensures that both children and their parents are receiving the necessary help to maintain their mental health. Because of this, I would say this organization and program takes a very wholistic approach to combatting mental health which is definitely an advantage.

Finally, the Wilson's Children Center is an organization that is a great asset to the Deposit community. They provide a service that is in great demand and need, and focus on more than just caring for the children physically. WCC's curriculum integrates both education on social/emotional  health and more common forms of education. The program they applied with was their Anger/Aggression Program. Through this program, the center would buy crash pads and provide the staff with training on how to educate students on how to deal with anger and aggression. They would also learn when anger is appropriate or not. This is beneficial to students coming from home environments that may be stressful or not ideal. Because of these environments, the children may learn inappropriate ways to deal with anger from their parents or develop their own inappropriate techniques to deal with anger as a result of their frustrations from home. This program would teach appropriate strategies to deal with anger, which as the executive director mentioned is a skill even many adults lack. The crash pads would also provide an outlet for aggression. Although the program may seem to lack unity, this does not necessarily mean that WCC is a disorganized organization. Their financial statements show that they have been producing at a deficit the past few years, however, this deficit makes up only 1% of their overall income and has been decreasing in the past few years steadily. This organization has existed as a reliable form of affordable child care, and the lack of unity in this specific potential program should not reflect how disorganized the organization is as a whole. They have a number of other programs they have implemented and maintained and manage to stay afloat in the face of rising minimum wages and decreasing funds.

Overall, I believe all of these organizations are great contenders. Each organization responds to community needs well and has shown some extent of success. One final note I would add is that although many want to focus on the "financial need" of these organizations, none of the organizations are "rich." Furthermore, none of the organizations would struggle to continue operating in the absence of receiving our donations. Of course, all of these organizations would, however, benefit in some way by receiving our grants. This is why I believe financial need of an organization shouldn't be a deciding factor in who should ultimately receive our donation(s).
Please let me know what you think of all of this, and if you have any additional comments or questions regarding my post! Thanks for reading!

Chai Lifeline (CHARITY POST)

Hi Everyone,
In this blog post I would like to tell you about an organization very close to my heart. Chai Lifeline Midwest is an organization that provides services to those who are sick. Their organization serves families across the Chicago area.  Their mission statement, "fighting illness with love," is exactly how they go about their programming.  They provide meals for those stuck in hospitals, volunteers to assist the families in need, monthly activities for the siblings of those who are sick, and overall financial help in regard to the payment of medical bills. Furthermore they provide opportunities for their warriors (those either fighting an illness or in remission from one) to travel around the world. Lastly, they run Camp Simcha-- an overnight camp that serves as a haven for those requiring constant medical care. It is a hospital within a overnight camp. Furthermore, it only runs for two weeks, which allows the campers to visit their doctors quite often.

Chai Lifeline's Website:
https://www.chailifeline.org/region/midwest

Camp Simcha:
http://www.campsimcha.org/

For information on Chai Lifeline's financial status:
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6707


The reason this organization holds so close to my heart is for an unfortunate reason. A few months ago a friend of mine from home passed away from stage four osteosarcoma. Caleb Meir z"l was an incredible person. He was kind, caring, and always bringing joy into the world. Even when he was nearing the end, he constantly inspired and gave strength to those around him. When he first became sick, Chai Lifeline provided for my community in ways you can never imagine. They provided my friends and I with counseling, activities, and ways to get involved in their organization. They gave us a way to carry his inspiration forward.

I cannot even begin to explain how much Chai Lifeline provided for Caleb's family. They gave their family meals, helped pay his medical bills, and provided them with volunteers to take care of their home and Caleb's family. Most of all, Chai Lifeline gave them LOVE. The fight was horrid and heartbreaking at times, but for every moment of tragedy their was one of love. Their mission statement could not be more true!

If you donate to this organization, I cannot tell you specifically where the money will go. However I can assure you it will either pay for a meal for a family in a hospital or an outing for a warrior and his or her siblings. I have seen repeatedly how such small amounts of money towards this organization can benefit a family need. So I urge you to consider donating to Chai Lifeline Midwest.

May his memory be a blessing!
Thank you.

Gentrification in Binghamton

Throughout our decision making process something that has interested me is how we as students can impact Binghamton economically and in the long-term. The areas surrounding Binghamton have been experiencing poverty and job losses for a while now. I was interested in finding out how the university impacts this poverty and how it could prevent it from getting worse. On the university’s website I was able to find a page dedicated to the economic impact the school has. On this page I found that Binghamton University employed over 5200 faculty and 7300 full and part time jobs across the state. The university’s impact is estimated to be about 13% of the GDP of Broome and Tioga counties. Throughout the 2015-16 school year it was found that the school’s total expenditures resulted in a $1.13 billion impact on Broome and Tioga counties. On top of this BU offers many programs and events to help benefit the local community, many being student initiatives. Some examples would be the Binghamton Relay For Life, Harpur’s Ferry, the Binghamton University Food Co-Op, and even the university’s Center for Civic Engagement. It is clear that the school has a great impact on the surrounding areas but is it always a positive one?

While conducting some research on the university’s website I came across an article discussing gentrification in Binghamton. Undergraduate student, Joshua Gonzalez, is conducting a study on how the new pharmacy school will impact the greater Binghamton area. Gentrification occurs when a business, such as BU, purchases a depreciated property which increases the value of the surrounding properties. This leads to higher rent prices and forces low-income residents to move out of the area. Gonzalez is arguing that this will be an effect of the new pharmacy school being built in Johnson City. Gonzalez had experienced this back in Harlem where he is originally from. He said “Watching my own home change and my friends move out of their homes really pushed me toward this research… its purpose is to improve the area for the community, but if you’re pushing the existing community out as a result, who is the improvement for?”. Gonzalez’s research is important because it will be able to track and examine gentrification before the process even begins. Most research is done after it has occurred. This way Gonzalez and his team can have solid evidence of how it negatively affects the surrounding area.  

My question for the class then would be, does the positive economic impact the school has on the community outweigh an issue like this? Should we as students be activists against the school’s expansion like Gonzalez is?

You can follow the progress of Gonzalez’s study here: https://jc-redevelopment.binghamton.edu/

http://discovere.binghamton.edu/student-spotlights/gonzalez-3-7065.html

https://www.binghamton.edu/community/economic-impact.html

Direct Relief

Hello Potential Donors!

            Before I introduce my charity, I want to briefly talk about my process in going about picking an organization. Unlike many of you I do not have a charity that I hold very near and dear to my heart. I have not participated in any organization that I feel must receive this donation. So rather than donate to a charity that I am very heartfelt about, I looked for a charity that was extremely effective. I am not saying that the way I chose my charity is better, but I truly believe in effective altruism. With that said, I decided to go with the charity Direct Relief.

            Direct Relief’s mission statement is “to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies.” They are a humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. They give to those in need despite religion, political agenda, ethnicities or ability to pay. They have given out nearly 365 million products with a value exceeding $760 million dollars for various disasters affecting people around the world. Despite they’re effectiveness, I choose this organization as it received a 100.00 overall rating on Charity Navigator as well as a 100.00 for its finances, accountability and transparency. Even more, 99% of donations go to relief. Moreover, if we cover the processing fee, 100% of the donation goes to the charity. They then direct that money into 6 different crisis they are currently looking at. We have the choice to donate to one specific or to whichever is in most need. I will include the 6 crises at the end of the post so if we decide to go with this charity we can vote then where that money goes.

            I find each week the same question is being asked. Where is our donation going and will it make an impact? The answer is yes! Almost 100% of our donation will go to a crisis that is in serious need of money. While I cannot tell you exactly where the money will go, whether it be food, bicycles for transportation, bandages or medical supplies for the sick. I do feel confident that our donation will have a critical impact. Especially if we choose to donate internationally to a poorer country where the USD has a higher value. CNBC rates this as #1 of the top ten charities changing the world and Forbes praises them on their 100% efficiency. I will attach a link to their website and you can see for yourself. I think if we want to truly make a difference here is an amazing chance to do so.

Thank you for reading this,

Jacob Croes

1.     1/9 Crises Fund for Monecito Mudslide

2.     Hurricane Response—Puerto Rico

3.     U.S programs

4.     International programs

5.     Syrian Refugee Crisis

6.     Maternal and Child Health

https://www.directrelief.org/ways-to-give/

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=362

BLOOD:WATER Charity Pitch

Greetings Fellow Philanthropist,

As we enter the 10th week of Charity pitches, I've notice a pattern amongst the blog post. The poster's core values are at the forefront of the post. My approach to philanthropy is no different, and it is heavily influenced by my up-bring, past experiences, and beliefs. As the son of a social worker in the economically depressed foothills of North Carolina, my mom's insight was not often dealing with light subjects, but dealing with some of the most difficult and heavy topics one can be involved in. These are lessons that left me with early exposure to issue areas such as mental health, homelessness, drug addiction, the opioid crisis, HIV/AIDS, and food and water insecurities. From the lessons learned from my Mother, I also came to realize that superficial short-term solutions to complex deeply ingrained social issue rarely work and no matter how bad it gets for me, there is always someone out there that has it worse. Attempting to even out these imbalances is one of the reasons I support the moderate effective altruism approach. One experience in particular also shaped my view of clean safe water as a top priority worldwide. The experience was suffering the wrath of a water borne disease on a backpacking trip on the Mountains to Sea trail of North Carolina. The Mountains to Sea Trail goes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the western part of the state, and stretches all the way to the sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. While backpacking a section of the trail in Stone Mountain State Park with my Boy Scout troop, I made the incorrect choice of cleaning my mess kit in the river we were using as a water source.    Sparing the graphic details of the diarrheal disease, I ended my backpacking trip 3 days later at the next pick up point, 15 pounds lighter and severely dehydrated. The experience of pure illness left me with a much greater appreciation for clean running water and modern facilities. These are the core values that influenced me to pick BLOOD:WATER as my Charity organization to support.

BLOOD:WATER is a 501©3  charity based out of Nashville, Tennessee that supports efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa to reduce the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, improve access to clean drinking water, and improve sanitation conditions.  They partner with African grassroot organizations that are working in these issue areas. The agency works to identify "Africa's Hidden Heroes" in these areas and provide technical, financial and organizational support to allow these organization to cause large change. By partnering with African grassroot organizations, BLOOD:WATER has valuable people on the ground that can help them gain as much knowledge from the people most effected and informed on the issue areas. On the surface, it doesn't seem like the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the water crisis would be very related but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Many rural areas in Sub-Saharan Africa have been ravished by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with 19.4 million effected in eastern and southern Africa, which represents over 50% of the 36.7 million effected globally. These same areas are often the hardest hit by water scarcity and lack of access to clean water for drinking and sanitation. The combination of the two issues can have deadly effects, especially because all most all HIV/AIDS related deaths are due to complications with another smaller disease and the patients weakened immune system. Due to their compromised immune systems, HIV/AIDs patients are very susceptible to common illnesses and diseases, of which the most common and deadly is diarrhea.  Studies found that up to 90% of AIDS patients in Africa suffer from a chronic diarrheal disease. (Obi 2006) Often times these water-borne diseases that would leave you or me 15 pounds lighter and severely dehydrated can be the final straw for those diagnosed with AIDS. People suffering from HIV/AIDS are often not able to walk the great distances to clean water sources. Clean water is essential for treating extremely painful skin, eye, and throat symptoms of the virus and most anti-retroviral need clean, safe drinking water to be effective. Clean water is also essential for mixing with formula to feed infants who's mothers are infected with HIV/AIDS. Please, think of the children. By partnering with African grassroot charity organizations that are already bringing health, hope, and healing to their communities, BLOOD:WATER is able to help establish water wells, hand pumps, and spring caps in rural areas in Sub-Saharan Africa that not only drastically improves the lives of those infected with the HIV virus but benefits everyone in the surrounding area. 

   

https://www.bloodwater.org/

             

Academic Source

Obi, CL, B Onabolu, MNB Momba, JO Igumbor, and J Ramalivahna. 

The interesting cross-paths of HIV/AIDS and water in Southern Africa with special reference to South Africa. Vol. 32, Gezina, South Africa, Water SA, 2006, pp. 323-43, https://www.ajol.info/index.php/wsa/article/view/5277. Accessed 20 Apr. 2018

Actors Fund Charity Pitch

The average wage of a male actor in the US is roughly $50,000 a year, yet this is far from guaranteed. Acting, apart from the glamorous spotlight of those who have achieved staggering success, is a very turbulent career to be in. My father spent a majority of his life pursuing his passion to make an honest living as a screen actor in various movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, this was accompanied with financial struggle and constant uncertainty. The charity I wish to pitch is an organization which I have a strong connection with and deep appreciation for. The Actor's Fund is an organization aimed to support all creators and artists overcome financial hardship, career uncertainty, find affordable health insurance, housing, and other social services since 1882. 

The Actors Fund provides actors in need with vital social service programs that cover basic needs that traditional careers provide that the entertainment industry lacks. These programs include disability support so an income can be maintained in the event of injury or sickness, mental wellness programs, and no obligation emergency financial support. This last program is the reason I advocate for this charity. In February of 2017, my father passed away from a heart attack without warning. My sister and I were left with the burden of arranging and funding a wake and funeral which is  notoriously expensive undertaking. The Actors Fund, which he had connections with in the past, contacted my sister and I and offered to pick up the tab for the majority of the funeral expenses with no strings attached. The representatives of the Actors Fund helped us throughout the entire process and displayed a true passion for what they do. 

The Actors Fund helps thousands of creators in need around the nation, and have an extremely reputable track record as a 501(c)(3) organization as well. Charity Navigator has given Actor's Fund a four-star rating with an overall score of 92.23. The organization does not provide specifics on where a donation of $100 would directly go or how it would affect its programs but I can personally advocate that it is used to help those most in need in times of uncertainty. I owe them more than I could ever provide which is why the Actor's Fund is my pitch for this week's charity to receive the class's donation. 

The Charity's website:

https://actorsfund.org/

Charity Navigator's review:

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5994

The Longevity of Philanthropy in the Modern Age

Hey guys, like most of you, I spend a obscene amount of time on the internet. How can our connectivity perhaps better our world?

What is the true purpose of philanthropic action? One may answer that philanthropy is a push for good, an opportunity to see change and alleviation of turmoil or struggle. Others see an opportunity to aid the evolution of a movement. Others may just see philanthropy as an opportunity to build good karma. However, the individual sees it from their own perspective, the main goal of all philanthropists is creating lasting change. The main goal of giving is to achieve longevity in the goal. Many of the issues we tackle as philanthropists are not momentary, they are institutionalized and broad. Issues we face are often not remedied immediately, but rather by continued efforts to change the way we function as a society.

Continuation and collaboration are the key to pursuing change in the modern world.

We are in the age where the big-name families like the Rockefellers, Carnegies, and Gates are not the only people able to give. We are pushing towards an era of crowdsourced change. Earlier this spring, The Smithsonian set out on a quest to tap into that market. One of the nation’s top science centers engaged in an extensive and wildly successful crowdsourcing venture to try and build capital to enact lasting change for the education and preservation work the Smithsonian accomplishes. The campaign involved more than half a million individual donors. 93% of donors made a donation of $100 or less, but those donations totaled to about $78 million dollars overall.

Regardless of the size of the sum of money or amount of time we are able to give, we as philanthropists want to make the biggest possible impact. In other words, we push to get the biggest bang for our buck. We must first realize that our relatively small, but impactful donation will not solve any real long-term problems, but in concert with others we as individuals in a Binghamton University classroom can contribute to lasting social change.

We have already seen some crowdsourcing ventures presented in class, like Kiva and other GoFundMe like websites, and these organizations are making huge contributions from the combined efforts of thousands of internet donors. My question to all of my peers is do you believe in the power we yield as small, millennial donors in the internet age to be philanthropic? Do you feel we as a population can use our clout to make change that for a long time was only attainable with contributions from the super-rich? And finally, if you do enjpy crowdsourced philanthropy like I do, what attracts you to it? What makes giving small amounts and in turn seeing large change so enticing?

Thank you all, looking forward to reading your responses.

Here is the Smithsonian article:
https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Smithsonian-s-19-Billion/243149?cid=cpstw

The Power of Expansion

Hey all! I have anticipated posting this since our last site visit to the Wilson's Children Center. So here it goes.. The opportunity to receive additional grant money to provide to local organizations is a big game changer in our course's mission. It would be an incredible opportunity the Learning by Giving Foundation could provide.
Over the course of the semester, we have spent so much time analyzing and debating methods and criteria of the evaluation of non-profit 501C3 organizations in Broome County. Personally, when I was thinking about where to allocate additional funding a few thoughts came in to my mind.

When we first created our presentations about are organizations, I had a concern that I would not be able to conceptualize the data we were being given (budget plans, 990's, etc.). However, after attending site visits, the process of this class finally made sense to me. The reason we read articles my Peter Singer, Prof. Campbell, and many other civil service scholars was to place foundational concepts into our minds to later be activated. Therefore, in order to consider how to allocate new funds, I would like to do the same.

When considering this new funding what reasoning do you use to support your claim?

I believe that in this case the concept of altruistic giving may not really apply and therefore, I would revert to the debate of whether this decision will be made with our heads, our hearts, or a combination of both. When I first chose my organizations, they came from my heart. I felt passionate about sharing what I had found with the class. Now, with an expanded understanding, I feel as if I could do more good by using my head to motivate this decision. I am curious if you, the reader, agree?

Instead of you all reading my post and analyzing what my opinion is, I would like to open up this post to be a conversation. 

There are many possibilities for our additional grant:

• The grant can be an operating or program grant.
• We can decide between the YWCA, WCC, Boys and Girls Club, MHAST, or CHOW.
• Also, if allowed, we can provide the additional grant to another Broome County organization discussed in the class that didn't make the final vote (like the Kopernick Observatory for example). Although, I do not know if that is realistic with our time constraints. 

Personally, especially after hearing from the WCC, I believe that the extra grant should become operating. Like Prof. Campbell explained many times non-profits simply need cash to be able to cover administrative costs. I am aware that the concept of giving cash to an organization may not pull at our hearts, however I truly believe it is an efficient decision and that it will provide an opportunity that is hard to come by. The challenge is that I cannot decide on who I would give the money to. In regard to who will receive the donation, I am curious to hear everyone's thoughts. 

Looking forward,

Molly S.

The Red Devils- Supporting Breast Cancer Families in My Community

     My mother was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2007 at the age of 34. I was 8 years old. I didn’t understand what those words meant in terms of my life or my family’s. She was strong and loved by everyone she knew. She was kind to strangers and made new friends wherever she went. Let’s just say you couldn’t have a conversation with her without unknowingly sharing your whole life story as well. She did go into remission in 2009, but the small glimmer of hope we had was snatched away in 2011 when the cancer came back and metastasized to her lymph nodes and brain. My mother passed away on February 1^st, 2015; that was a little more than 3 years ago and yet I still feel every rip that her disease tore into the fabric of our lives. The worst thing about a disease like cancer is that it holistically attacks everyone who hears the word; everyone who knows someone who is diagnosed. As a young child it starts with questions like “Why did mommy have to lose all her hair? Why does grandma have to move in? Why can’t mommy come out to play in the yard?” and then it slowly becomes a way of life. It became my normal. For a spouse like my father, the questions were along the lines of “How are we going to be able to afford treatment? Why us? Why now? What’s going to have to change?” and then they change to an obsession with a cure and heartbreak when one cannot be found. At the time of my mom’s diagnosis my parents had just sold the family store, gotten new jobs, and had bought a house. They wanted me to grow up away from the high crime and violence of the D.C. area. Instead they were blindsided, and my mom took charge like she always did; working and easing everyone’s fear while still going to chemotherapy and radiation. She was the one who connected my family to the nonprofit I want to discuss with you all.

     The Red Devils is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded to “fund services that improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients and their families” in the state of Maryland. At the time of my mom’s initial diagnosis they provided my family with funds for my mother’s co-payments, prescriptions, and treatments. Their help allowed her to get genetic testing. I could never repay such a gift; one that allows me to live a life knowing that I am not genetically at risk for breast cancer. The Red Devils provided us with funds for groceries, house cleaning, gas cards, parking at the hospital. They couldn’t cure my mom’s cancer, but they could help to aid cancer’s financial burden. For my mom, it meant she could step away from her job at the bank and take her long-term leave at home. It relieved so much of her stress and allowed for her to grow stronger and stronger which led to a 2-year remission period. In those 2 years my mom was my mom again, no longer a cancer patient; no longer “sick”. She came outside and played tennis with me, she taught me to cook, she told me she loved me without worrying it would be the last time. The Red Devils helped her be able to do that, just like it has helped 7,582 other Maryland breast cancer patients in the span of 15 years.

     Between 2002 and 2017, the organization has invested $3,557,094 towards helping patients.  $2,169,827 has gone towards family support, $782,561 to medical services, and $604,706 to transportation. Family support is defined as funds needed for meals, groceries, house cleaning, home care, rent, utilities, mortgage, child care, etc. Medical services are considered to be anything having to do with co-payments, prescriptions, treatments, procedures, prosthetics, genetic testing, etc. And transportation support includes cab fare, vouchers, gas cards, metro passes, parking, toll, and automotive repairs. With these funds, The Red Devils have been able to support 5,500 breast cancer families so that their loved ones could either start or remain in treatment. The organization puts a lot of emphasis on making themselves an easily accessible resource to patients. Like my mom, patients are referred to the organization by any medical staff or social worker from any one of their 46 partnered hospitals in the area. This way the organization can make themselves readily available to anyone who needs them without having to access a patient’s situation on a case by case basis. In this way they are utilizing the already available resources of the hospital staff and social workers who would have a better understanding of what a patient needs. While looking over their 2016 IRS 990 form, which can be found through Charity Navigator, I thought it would be important to mention that a breakdown of their expenses for 2016 showed that 63.2% of funds went towards families, 22.05% went towards fundraising, and 14.7% went to overhead costs. Although we’ve discussed that ideally an organization should be spending more than 70% on their programs, it’s important to note that the organization brought in nearly three times the amount they spent on fundraising; making a net fundraising income of $319,265. The organization also meets several of the criteria we have looked for in previous organizations. Indicated on their 990 is that The Red Devils has no material diversion of assets, an independent voting board, documented meetings shared with the governing body, a written conflict of interest policy and whistleblower policy amongst its staff, and a records retention and destruction policy.

     The last point I want to make about The Red Devils is that each and every person who works with them has a shared passion. The name of the organization itself pays homage to the chemotherapy drugs many breast cancer patients know as “The Red Devil” because of its bright red color and its substantial toll on the body. I’ve met many people who have worked for or in association with The Red Devils. Some have come from businesses and others from the participating hospitals, but we all share the same scars. Breast cancer links us like a lifeline. Many a time my family and I found these people to be like our life preserver when we were being dragged out to sea. That first year we almost didn’t celebrate Christmas, but we were connected with a group of women who came over to decorate the house, bring us gifts, and give us food for a Christmas dinner. Later, my mother, who only had a learner’s permit at the time, was desperate to get to a doctor’s appointment. She ended up in a car accident because she couldn’t find anyone else to drive her. The X-rays from her accident revealed that her cancer had returned. We were almost instantaneously connected with a woman who could drive my mom to her appointments and treatments from then on. My mother’s cancer brought us into a much broader community- one that The Red Devils are a big part of in Maryland. Without them it would be like a sinking ship with no life rafts; thousands left to drown at sea. Breast cancer is a fast-acting disease that can get progressively worse every day that a patient goes without treatment. Our donation would go directly to a breast cancer family ensuring that they can receive the most stress-free treatment as soon as possible.  We could provide the life raft that prevents them from drifting out to sea.

For more information on The Red Devils visit: https://www.the-red-devils.org/about-us/

Their Charity Navigator page is: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=743070929

*they are not rated on Charity Navigator because they do not have more than $1M in annual revenue

For more on my family’s journey with cancer:

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/ph-cc-emily-jew-20141220-story.html

https://carrollmagazine.com/small-miracles/

Gift of Life charity pitch

Every four minutes in the United States, a patient is diagnosed with blood cancer; that is 360 people a day and 130,000 people each year. The three main types of blood cancer are Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma, which attack blood, lymphatic system and bone marrow, respectively. Unlike other cancers, blood cancers will cause the growth of abnormal blood cells, which may prevent a person from being able to fight off infections, expediting their inevitable mortality. The treatment from other cancers though is very different; a lot of the time to complement the chemotherapy or, in many cases, to replace it, healthy blood cells can be taken from a donor to replace the sick ones in a patient. This is where people can run into complications. Unlike normal blood donations, where two people need just to have the same blood type, in order to be a bone marrow donor, the two participants must be perfect genetic matches for each other.

The test to see if you’re are a perfect match for someone is fast and simple. Cotton swabs are used to swab the insides of your cheek; this collects stem cells which determine results; the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Registry provides little envelopes with all the necessary materials needed to run these tests. Testing one person’s stem cells costs $60, but there are monetary donors who subsidize this cost for people under the age of 45, paying the cost in its entirety. I do understand that our money, if we chose to give to the Gift of Life, would only be able to pay for the testing for maybe two people, but there’s no way to say that that last person won’t be somebody’s perfect match.

Jay Feinberg was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991. After having held bone marrow drives around the country, and having swabbed tens of thousands of people, it was the very last woman at the very last drive, after four years of searching, that ended up being a perfect match for Jay. The bone marrow transplant was a complete success and even after he was better, continued the search for others, having founded Gift of Life. I had the pleasure of meeting Jay when he came to visit Binghamton last year and became inspired by his story. I have since worked with the Gift of Life Campus ambassadors on our campus, assisting in swabbing hundreds of students. This is an organization that does great work and has helped save the lives of thousands of people, I believe it is deserving of a donation from our class.

https://www.giftoflife.org/