I can't say I have ever donated large sums, but we have casual days at work about once a month that everyone chips in 5 bucks towards march of dime, cancer societies, etc. I also just dropped 150 on a new set of golf clubs for my wife that are the breast cancer ones (they acutally are very nice). I try to help as much as I can.

As do I Chris. I actually donate quite a bit. This is just the first time that
I've actively participated in an event that hits so close to home.

Thanks for your response though.

It's probably obvious by now that I've been bumping the thread over and over.
I guess I'm just surprised at the lack of responses and that's why I keep on
bumping the thread. It's one thing for nobody to show up to my gig a few
years back, but after visiting the site for this long, I guess I just thought
that more people would be willing to throw a couple bucks in.

I'm not bitter, just surprised, please don't take it the wrong way. I keep bumping
the thread because maybe I'm trying to get some people to take notice, because
the only thing that I can think of is that not enough people that would donate
have seen this thread. It's the only thing I can imagine.

I volunteer chef services at mine, my wife is a team leader.

This is the set of golf clubs (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=sc_ri_1/601-1061578-3268918?ie=UTF8&asin=B000N5Y63Y) that I got my wife.

I did some research but couldn't find out how much goes to the cancer fund.

Not trying to be a dick but I read this article today

The American Cancer Society’s mission statement says it is dedicated to "preventing cancer and saving lives—through research education, advocacy, and service." Yet what the Society seems to do best is accumulate wealth. According to James Bennett, a professor of economics at George Mason University who tracks charitable organizations, the American Cancer Society (ACS) held a fund balance of over $400 million with about $69 million worth of holdings in real estate, office buildings, and equipment in 1988. ("How raw land helps us find a cure for cancer or helps cancer victims is an enigma I can't fathom," says Bennett.) Of that money, the ACS spent only $90 million—barely a quarter of its budget—on medical research and related programs. The rest covered "operating expenses," including about 60 percent for salaries, pensions, executive benefits, and overhead. By 1989, ACS cash reserves had reached over $700 million.

In a 1992 Wall Street Journal article, Loyola University professor of economics Thomas DiLorenzo charged that a high percentage of funds raised by the ACS went to pay overhead, salaries, benefits, and travel expenses for national executives in Atlanta. For every ACS affiliate, salaries and fringe benefits were by far the largest single budget item. Most direct services were provided by volunteers. For every dollar spent on direct community services, such as driving cancer patients from the hospital after chemotherapy and providing pain medication, approximately $6.40 was spent on compensation and overhead. At most, 16 percent of all money raised nationally was spent on direct services. Yet Society fundraising appeals routinely asked for more funds to support their cancer programs.

" If current needs are not being met because of insufficient funds, as fundraising appeals suggest," asked DiLorenzo, "why is so much being hoarded? Most contributors believe their donations are being used to fight cancer, not to accumulate financial reserves. More progress in the war against cancer would be made if they would divest some of their real estate holdings and use the proceeds—as well as a portion of their cash reserves—to provide more cancer services."

Things haven't changed much since DiLorenzo's findings. By 1998, based on the Society's annual budget report, revenues had reached $677 million. In 1998, the Society spent some $140 million on "supporting services" such as overhead, salaries in the $220,000 range for regional directors (national executives' salaries are not disclosed), benefits and travel expenses, fundraising, and public relations. It had $800 million in reserves.

The Society's penchant for storing wealth over funding research and services prompted the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a watchdog organization that monitors major charities, to analyze its budgets and programs. The Chronicle concluded that the American Cancer Society is "more interested in accumulating wealth than saving lives."

Interesting. I always like to know how my money is being used. I was skeptic of United Way when our work collected for that. After doing some extensive research I found that %86 of the money goes directly to those who need it (the rest to administrative costs). That isn't too bad really. You'd expect at least 3/4 of your money to actually go to the cause.

I'm not a big economics person, so if someone wants to read their financial report and figure it all out by all means:

The report (http://www.cancer.org/downloads/AA/ACS%20Combined%20Financials%20FY%2005%20Final%20is sued.pdf)

They use more funds for treatment than for prevention.

They use money generated to places like the "Make A Wish" foundation
where my sister, before she passed on made a wish and sent my family
to Disney World in her last month on earth. We were in pretty good
spirits and as a terribly poor family, had a wonderful time and built
stronger memories there before she had to leave us.

Not trying to be a dick, but I'm walking so that other kids can receive
treatment. Not to walk for a cure for the 200 different types of cancer
that are out there. Cancer is going to be harder to find a cure for than
AIDS possibly since there are so many kinds.

I'm walking to salute my sis and my girl's aunt who will surely be watching
us get together as a family and share time remembering them. If you
don't want to donate, you don't have to. Please bash the charity I'm
donating and walking for in a different thread I suppose.

I guess this was the wrong place for this thread altogether.
Sorry peeps, but I'm pretty fucking annoyed.

When my mother in law was dying and my family needed honest, respectable info about her type of cancer and what it all meant the ACS site was wonderful, and in the kinds of laments terms I'd imagine people with less eduacation than myself would need to make sense of the situation. I'm sure that was overhead to make that site. I can't speak to their asset allocations and possessions, I'd hope they're being used to help people with cancer and their families in some way.

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/5992/tisdale220dunkss1.jpg
Wayman Tisdale, Cancer Survivor swats Kevin Willis' face.

They use more funds for treatment than for prevention.

They use money generated to places like the "Make A Wish" foundation
where my sister, before she passed on made a wish and sent my family
to Disney World in her last month on earth. We were in pretty good
spirits and as a terribly poor family, had a wonderful time and built
stronger memories there before she had to leave us.

Not trying to be a dick, but I'm walking so that other kids can receive
treatment. Not to walk for a cure for the 200 different types of cancer
that are out there. Cancer is going to be harder to find a cure for than
AIDS possibly since there are so many kinds.

I'm walking to salute my sis and my girl's aunt who will surely be watching
us get together as a family and share time remembering them. If you
don't want to donate, you don't have to. Please bash the charity I'm
donating and walking for in a different thread I suppose.

I guess this was the wrong place for this thread altogether.
Sorry peeps, but I'm pretty fucking annoyed.

Sorry Mola, I wasn't ripping on them at all. MikeMyers was a little bit of a debbie downer, but I don't think he was ripping anything.

Sorry Mola, I wasn't ripping on them at all. MikeMyers was a little bit of a debbie downer, but I don't think he was ripping anything.


Just didn't think that it belonged in the thread.
I agree though, he wasn't attacking or anything.
I still love everyone here. Bye now.

[smilie=hug.gif]

Sorry. I regret posting that.

Don't regret posting anything...it's gravy holmes.

REGRET IT!