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Week of 23 Februrry 2009

(Editor’s Note: This week we look at a water study being conducted among those who resided at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1957 and 1987. Also in this week’s F.Y.I is a look at non-profits that reportedly help veterans. Everything is not what it seems, as you will read. Thanks goes to Wayne Gatewood of Quality Support for this information. – Ed. R.)

Camp Lejeune Water Study Underway

Virginia for Veterans
Contact: Anne Atkins
(804) 371-0441
900 East Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219

The United States Marine Corps encourages all those who resided at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1957-1987 to register at Camp Lejeune Water Study to receive updated information and notifications regarding the ongoing Water Study. If you know of any family members or friends who were at Camp Lejeune during this period, please encourage them to register.

The Marine Corps is reaching out to other government agencies in attempt to reach Marines, civilians, and family members who resided at Camp Lejeune, NC, between 1957-1987.

In response to this effort, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will be sending out letters on our behalf. The IRS has not disclosed any addresses or other tax information and has no involvement in the matter aside from forwarding the HQMC letter. (Letter in PDF HERE)

If you receive a letter from the IRS and are already registered, no action is required. If you are NOT registered, please go HERE or call our toll free hotline: 1-877-261-9782. If you are already registered and need to update your information, please call the toll free hotline at the number provided.

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Some Non-profits Shortchange Troops,
Watchdog Group Says

By Philip Rucker,
Washington Post Staff Writer

Americans gave millions of dollars in the past year to veterans charities designed to help troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, but several of the groups spent relatively little money on the wounded, according to a leading watchdog organization and federal tax filings.

Eight veterans’ charities, including some of the nation's largest, gave less than a third of the money raised to the causes they champion, far below the recommended standard, the American Institute of Philanthropy says in a report. One group passed along 1 cent for every dollar raised, the report says. Another paid its founder and his wife a combined $540,000 in compensation and benefits last year, a Washington Post analysis of tax filings showed.

Richard H. Esau Jr., executive director of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation, based in Annandale, said the cost of fundraising limits how much his group can spend on charitable causes. "Do you have any idea how much money it costs to advertise? It's unbelievable the amount of money it takes to advertise in the print and electronic media," he said. "I'm very proud of what we do, and we certainly do look after everybody. The point is we do the right thing by veterans."

Borochoff said many veterans charities are 'woefully inefficient, ' spending large sums on costly direct-mail advertising. 'They over solicit. They love to send out a lot of trinkets and stickers and greeting cards and flags and things that waste a lot of money that they get ittle return on,' said Borochoff, who plans to testify before Congress today.

The philanthropy institute gave F's to 12 of the 29 military charities reviewed and D's to eight. Five were awarded A-pluses, including the Fisher House Foundation in Rockville, which the institute says directs more than 90 percent of its income to charit able causes.

One group received an A, and one received an A-minus.

Jim Weiskopf, spokesman for Fisher House, said the charity does not use direct-mail advertising."As soon as you do direct mail, your fundraising expenses go up astronomically," he said.

One egregious example, Borochoff said, is Help Hospitalized Veterans, which was founded in 1971 by Roger Chapin, a veteran of the Army Finance Corps and a San Diego real estate developer. The charity, which provides therapeutic arts and crafts kits to hospitalized veterans, reported income of $71.3 million last year and spent about one-third of that money on charitable work, the philanthropy institute said.

In its tax filings, Help Hospitalized Veterans reported paying more than $4 million to direct-mail fundraising consultants. The group also has run television advertisements featuring actor Sam Waterston, game show host Pat Sajak and other celebrities.

Bennett Weiner, chief operating officer of the Better Business Bureau, said the agency has 20 standards for reviewing charities, including that a charity's fundraising and overhead costs not exceed 35 percent of total contributions.

The American Institute of Philanthropy, a leading charity watchdog, issued a report card this month for 29 veterans and military charities. Letter grades were based largely on the charities' fundraising costs and the percentage of money raised that was spent on charitable activities. The charities that received failing grades are in bold type and theGood Guysare in BLUE type.

Air Force Aid Society (A+)

American Ex-Prisoners of War Service Foundation (F)

American Veterans Coalition (F)

American Veterans Relief Foundation (F)

AMVETS National Service Foundation (F)

Armed Services YMCA of the USA (A-)

Army Emergency Relief (A+)

Blinded Veterans Association (D)

Disabled American Veterans (D)

Disabled Veterans Association (F)

Fisher House Foundation (A+)

Freedom Alliance (F)

Help Hospitalized Veterans/Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (F)

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (A+)

Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation (F)

National Military Family Association (A)

National Veterans Services Fund (F)

National Vietnam Veterans Committee (D)

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (A+)

NCOA National Defense Foundation (F)

Paralyzed Veterans of America (F)

Soldiers' Angels (D)

United Spinal Association' s Wounded Warrior Project (D)

USO (United Service Organization) (C+)

Veterans of Foreign Wars and Foundation (C-)

Veterans of the Vietnam War & the Veterans Coalition (D)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (D)

VietNow National Headquarters (F)

World War II Veterans Committee (D)

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24 August 2009
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09 March 2009
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23 February 2009
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Watchdog Group Says

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