Anybody hear of "Cancer Support Services" of Dearborn?

[FlyingJ]

reading about crap like this makes me so p.o.'d, esp if one knows/is related to somebody touched by The Big C;

http://newtoseattle.wordpress.com/20...ts-in-seattle/

[belleislerunner]

While I won't purport to know the details behind this charity - the writeup did seem over the top sensational - which makes me suspect.


For example - the author highlighted that 12 million of the 14 million [[86%) of the gifts in kind were donated to the Caribbean for medical assistance. It's easy to fulfill a mission with a cash donation. It can be harder when you received "gifts in kind" because you can't always control what the donation is [[other than accept or reject). For example, if a drug company gave 10,000 extra stretchers or needles or cleaning kits - because it seemed like a good charity - the charity would then distribute them to those in need. However, based off the goods received, there might not be an opportunity to give them 1 to 1 to someone suffering from breast cancer [[i.e. someone in that circumstance might not be in the need for donated syringes). Once again, I'm not expressing an opinon on this charity - the writer just seemed overzealous.
"Moreover, in the case of Cancer Fund, $12 million of that $14 million in GIK was given to unspecified recipients in Central American and the Caribbean for “medical assistance” that does not seem to be especially focused on cancer treatment. One official Cancer Fund document said this largess “consist[s] principally of non-prescription medications, clothes, medical supplies, personal hygiene kits, food products, books, toys and reading material.”

[Johnnny5]

reading about crap like this makes me so p.o.'d, esp if one knows/is related to somebody touched by The Big C;

http://newtoseattle.wordpress.com/20...ts-in-seattle/

The people running and soliciting for these "charities" should be in prison eating cold ham sandwiches next to Madoff! Abusing the goodwill of people willing to donate to a worthy cause is just as bad as stealing from the causes they are claiming to assist. How does it get any worse than stealing from cancer patients?

A law requiring that a reasonable minimum percentage of solicited donations go directly to the cause is long overdue.




I was scammed by one of these people selling coupon books in front of a local retailer a few years back. Their entire sales pitch was that the proceeds from the sale of the book benefited injured U.S Veterans and their table was fully decorated with American flags. After shelling out $25 for the coupons I was a bit taken aback when I returned home, flipped through the pages and saw the fine print on the last page. "$1 from the sale of this book is donated to ------------ by your distributor". So not only was the company only giving $1 out of $25 to the cause they were using to sell the books, but the $1 was coming out of the commission of the person pushing the sales [[Maybe).
I did some research and it turns out this was a traveling "scam" that moves around the country when the negative press gets heavy. By the time everyone catches on they are long gone and on to the next market.

[313WX]

Associated Community Services, based in the Onyx Building in Southfield, is who solicits for these type of charities. They have a call center out there and one in Dearborn [[which is what the OP was referring to).

They call people in desperate people to interview for their fundraising position [[$10/hour at 35 hours per week) just to get ahold of the applicants phone numbers as they may be potential donors in the future. They then have the fundraisers they do hire [[namely ex-cons becaused they get a tax break for hiring them) call you on a rotating schedule until you donate something. The more you donate, the more they call you. Only a small percent of the funds they raise go to the charitable foundations, but according to the government, they do donate enough to be considered a non-profit/charitable organization themselves [[yeah, there's your free market at work).

Just do a quick Google search on them. You'll learn all about this awful company and th questionable charitable organizaitons they represent.

[professorscott]

Never give to so-called charities that cold-call you. There are plenty of good, reputable organizations that you've heard of: the Red Cross, United Way, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, just to name a few. Give to charities that you already know about; don't support these scam artists.

[Detroit_uke]

Like Johnny5 said - they should be in jail. You learn a lot when someone in your family has cancer. My husband had cancer...there is no help....the money donated to the American Cancer Society is for research/Education...They will tell you if you need financial help - go to Social Services. The hospitals area joke - they tell you they will deduct $500 off a bill....yup - that $500 they deduct goes to a collection agency.
If you want to help a cancer patient - help them directly....that's why you see soo many fundraisers for folx with cancer. The little boy that had a lemonade stand for his dad.....the bowling fundraisers and spaghetti dinners. research is important - but the families need help. I see a ton of job adds for this place in Dearborn....the callers even get a bonus.....It was our church, my husbands friends and co-workers that helped during his treatment and after he died.......

[Detroit_uke]

OK...I searched some more. Found a link: portlandobserver.com/?p=394
This is from December 10, 2009.....Attorney General Warns of Scam Charities...The top 20 scams in the United States...4 of them were right here in Michigan.....Cancer Support Services of Dearborn was #18.....they took in $7,412,271......17% went to the cause!!!! The others in Michigan.....#4 - Foundation for American Veterans - West Bloomfield. #6: Law Enforcement Education program - Troy, #14 - Children with hair Loss - South Rockwood.
If you know someone that has cancer - help them directly...support the little spaghetti dinner fundraisers and bowling fundraisers. I'm going to a bowling fundraisers for my friend's 3 year old grandson!!!!!

[courtney]

Once my grandfather died, we found out that he had spent a large sum of money giving money to these "charities". And this was despite the fact that the last couple of years of his life my parents collected all of his [[and my grandmothers) mail before it was given to him at the assisted living facility to take care of bills and even had his phone number changed because he'd managed to get himself on the sucker list of every POS "charity" [[anyone who wants to debate that the scum charities don't give each other information has their head in the sand). We're still unsure exactly how they were soliciting money from him at the end.

Most people of solid mind know not to give money to these POS scams, however, that doesn't stop them from using methods that scam the elderly or those not "all there". And despite patiently telling my grandfather that he was NOT helping anyone time and time again, each time they called they'd confuse him by their claims and pleas and he'd open up his checkbook. I once stopped him from giving out his social security number [[mid number) to someone who called and claimed to be the phone company selling some service. Unfortunately, his generation was a lot more trusting and believed that unless it really WAS the actual phone company, someone wouldn't just say they were.

At any rate, they are scum. Pure scum. And I fully admit I'd enjoy having a few hours alone with the heads of these groups. I'm never getting rid of the list of ones who scammed money from my grandfather. They've made my eternal shit list.