Charities:Think twice about where your donations goes

Charities That Thank You for Your Donations [This was checked with snopes.com http://snopes.com and is true.] As you open your pockets for yet another natural disaster, keep the following facts in mind when "donating"; I have listed them from the highest (worse paid offender) to the lowest (least paid offender). The worst offender was yet again for the 11th year in a row is, UNICEF - CEO, receives $1,200,000 per year, (plus use of a Royal Royce for his exclusive use where ever he goes, and an expense account that is rumoured to be well over $150,000.) Only pennies from the actual donations goes to the UNICEF cause (less than $0.14 per dollar of income). The second worst offender this year is Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross...for her salary for the year ending in 2009 was $651,957 plus expenses. Enjoys 6 weeks - fully paid holidays including all related expenses during the holiday trip for her and her husband and kids. including 100% fully paid health & dental plan for her and her family, for life. This means out of every dollar they bring in, about $0.39 goes to related charity causes. The third worst offender was again for the 7th time was, Brian Gallagher, President of the United Way receives a $375,000 base salary plus so many numerous expense benefits it's hard to keep track as to what it is all worth, including a fully paid lifetime membership for 2 golf courses (1 in Canada, and 1here in the U.S.A.), 2 luxury vehicles, a yacht club membership, 3 major company gold credit cards for his personal expenses...and so on. This equates to about $0.51 per dollar of income goes to charity causes. Fourth worst offender who was also again in the fourth spot, for every year since this information has been made available from the start 1998 is amazingly yet again, World Vision President receives $300,000 base salary, (plus supplied - a home valued in the $700,000 - $800,000 dollar value range, completely furnished, completely paid all housing expenses, including taxes, water/sewer, telephone/fax, HD/high speed cable, weekly maid service and pool/yard maintenance, fully paid private schooling for his children, upscale automobile and an $55,000 personal expense account for clothing/food, with a $125,000 business expense account). Get this, because it is a "religious based" charity, it pays, little to no taxes, can receive government assistance and does not have to declare were the money goes. Only about $0.52 of earned income per dollar is available for charity causes. Of the sixty some odd "charities" we looked at, the lowest paid (President/C.E.O/Commissioner) was heading up a charity group in Canada. We found, believe it or not, it was...... The Salvation Army's Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 Billion dollar organization. Which means about $0.93 per dollar earned, is readily available and goes back out to local charity causes... truly amazing... and well done "Sally Anne"! No further comment is necessary... "Think Twice" before you give to your charity of choice as to which one really does the best for the most - or the least for the most, for that matter.

At 91years Watts Neighborhood Council Member Ola Mae Toler is still very active

Ms Toler is a native of Hempstead ,Texas.She is the youngest of eight children.A graduated from Sam Schwartz High School. With a Scholarship to Tillotson College in Austin,She preferably attended nearby Prairie View College Instead. Where for two years she majored in home economics.

She later married Mckever Toler,Also of Hempstead,Texas and thy moved to Los Angeles,Where they purchased a home in the Parkside Manor neighbhood of the Watts community.Subsequently where there three children were born,and thy all attended Compton Avenue Elementary School, Markham Junior High School,And Graduated from Jordan High School in Watts.TheCompton Avenue School is where Ms Toler first became involved with community volunteer work such as the( P.T.A.) Parent Teacher Association where she was President.Later she would apply for a job opening at the Westminster Neighborhood Association, A non-profit organization in Watts.She was hired there in community action department as a community action aide.She was eventually promoted to the position of community project coordinator during her 18+years tenure at Westminster.

Ola Mae Toler is a member of Grant A.M.E. Pastor by Leslie White.She is past President of the Mothers club. And former Chairperson for the '' Annual Mothers of the year award presentation and Treasurer of the class leaders council,and is a life time member of the Watts Branch of the NAACP.And Also F0rmer Chairperson of the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) .She is also a member of Watts Neighborhood Council were she is the Area 6 Representative.It's has been an honor and priviege for me these 6 years with her on the WattsNC.

No Hazardous Waste at the new Jordan Downs 3Acre Site

In December 2002, an explosion occurred at S&W Atlas Iron and Metal Company, Inc. (Atlas), a recycling facility located adjacent to Jordan High School in the Watts community of Los Angeles. While cutting up old military ordnance, one large shell casing that was improperly decommissioned exploded, hit another shell that detonated and landed near the baseball field, in front of a portable classroom at Jordan High School. Fortunately, there were no injuries. In response to a request from the Watts Neighborhood Council(WattsNC) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) investigated contaminant migration from the Atlas facility and subsequently under took cleanup of the baseball field at Jordan High School.DTSC investigated the Atlas facility, where automobile engines and various metal parts were brought to the facility for dismantling prior to recycling. Since the 1940's, Atlas had placed non-recyclable debris in two large waste piles, which were located directly behind the fence separating Atlas from the Jordan High School baseball field. DTSC Endangerment Determination in May 2004, requiring a removal action at the school baseball field. The school district restricted access to the baseball field by fencing it off to prevent any direct contact by students with contaminated soils. When LAUSD had no funds available for the required cleanup at the school, DTSC identified cleanup funds, developed a scope of work, went through a bidding process, and selected a qualified contractor to conduct the cleanup work under DTSC's oversight. DTSC's public participation staff worked with LAUSD to inform the faculty, The Watts Neighborhood and the Watts community about the investigation and cleanup.DTSC oversaw a time-critical removal action at the school baseball field, conducted between June 21 and July 5, 2004 when the school was closed for a two-week summer break. This expedited cleanup was necessary in order to prevent exposure to students and school staff, and to avoid impacts to normal school operations.During excavation activities, DTSC discovered additional areas with burn ash and arsenic contamination, requiring expansion of the cleanup. DTSC's contractor completed all field activities in accordance with the approved Removal Action Workplan on July 2, 2004, including: site preparation; waste soil excavation, transportation, and disposal; fill material supply, grading, and compaction; restoration activities, including repair of irrigation lines, soil replacement, and baseball diamond area restoration. Excavation depth in many areas across the baseball field went from two feet, as originally projected, to six feet below grade, until confirmation sampling came back "clean". Approximately 2,000 tons of hazardous waste soils were shipped offsite for proper disposal. On July 6, 2004, the Jordan High School campus reopened with a safe, restored baseball field.The cleanup stemmed from a June 2004 civil complaint that DTSC filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking removal of hazardous waste,cleanup of soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals from the site and the adjacent high school.In 2006, Atlas removed and disposed of hazardous waste piles on site, overseen by U.S. EPA's emergency response team. Work on the final phase of the clean up began in May and was completed.The civil case required Atlas to pay DTSC $350,000 dollars, $210.000 as reimbursement for costs incurred by DTSC in removing contaminated soil from the Jordan High School sports field.The three-acre facility, in operation since 1949, purchases and prepares metals – iron, steel, aluminum, copper, lead and zinc – for recycling. It is located at 10019 South Alameda Street in South Los Angeles.The cleanup stemmed from a June 2004 civil complaint that DTSC filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking removal of hazardous waste and cleanup of soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals from the site and the adjacent high school.