Seeing Red with the Red Cross.

[Rank Amateur]

I know I will probably step in it, but this needs to be said. In '96 the Red Cross came to town and set up the shelter and other aid, but in the end people felt used, the Red Cross got a lot of donations and the local people felt that a very small percentage trickled down.

The Red Cross came again this flood, did the shelter thing again, of coarse it is Larry Steele's camp. Wife just came in and said, Red Cross is pulling out, turning people out on the street or to go back to their homes that are all torn up. It is cold, a lot of people don't have heat yet.

Is it just me or do other people think that the Red Cross use these disasters to fill the coffers. Local people feel that they have been used again. I saw that the local news media was questioning where the funds were being distributed to. I keep seeing, donate to the Red Cross, but if you really want to help the people in the affected areas, DON"T. Find the local donation agency and donate there. In Vernonia's case it is the Wauna Federal Credit Union, 1010 Bridge Street, Vernonia Oregon, 97064.

FEMA is in town, but a lot of people are being denied benefits for a multitude of reasons. So the donations that the city receives will benefit those people that receive no outside help first. Right now the the donations total around $50,000 which is great, but when you divide that by 400 damaged homes it will not go far.

I have no stake in this, my home is fine, but I care for my fellow citizens, I think they have been used again.

[Dave G]

Red Cross is a none profit agency, of course. They have been running tight for years. They can’t help everyone.

[Smoked Salmon]

but...

The Red Cross is a fine organization, and uses national level assets to quickly move into a disaster zone and set up an immediate aide station. There is a lot of infrastructure that makes this happen, and yeah, not much seems to trickle down.

But how much does it cost to do what they did, at the speed at which it was done? I am willing to bet that it cost more to do that than was raised in the past 10 days. On the other hand, I know exactly what you mean. 10 days is not enough to recover from that level of devastation. Heck, some folks are still tearing out the damage in their homes. Rebuilding will continue for another month at least, and that is a fact. But Red Cross is NOT a long term solution. They did exactly what they say they do. Come in, provide immediate assistance, and then leave when the situation has stabilized. All the extra fire and police and rescue personnel are gone, curbside pickup is over, and vital services are restored.
This is no consolation to a family left in the cold. But it is not a lapse of Red Cross.

[Silver Hilton]

If you look here http://www.charitynavigator.org/inde...ary&orgid=3277 you can see that they deliver 94% of every dollar taken in as services. That's a lot better than the majority of charities out there. They don't spend much on fund-raising.

[saber_jack]

Originally Posted by Smoked Salmon

but...

The Red Cross is a fine organization, and uses national level assets to quickly move into a disaster zone and set up an immediate aide station. There is a lot of infrastructure that makes this happen, and yeah, not much seems to trickle down.

But how much does it cost to do what they did, at the speed at which it was done? I am willing to bet that it cost more to do that than was raised in the past 10 days. On the other hand, I know exactly what you mean. 10 days is not enough to recover from that level of devastation. Heck, some folks are still tearing out the damage in their homes. Rebuilding will continue for another month at least, and that is a fact. But Red Cross is NOT a long term solution. They did exactly what they say they do. Come in, provide immediate assistance, and then leave when the situation has stabilized. All the extra fire and police and rescue personnel are gone, curbside pickup is over, and vital services are restored.
This is no consolation to a family left in the cold. But it is not a lapse of Red Cross.

Red Cross will never get a dime of my money after they lined their coffers after 9/11. Millions of dollars that people thought were going to a specific cause got thrown into another pot of money entirely.

just my .02

[matttheduck]

Is your complaint that the Red Cross relief effort in Vernonia is inadequate? That they should be doing more, or something different then what they are doing?

I don't think they should have to spend every penny they raise in response to a specific disaster on that disaster. That's not even practical, as there would come a point when they'd be buying everyone new cars or something. The fact is that for every disaster the Red Cross raises above what they spend, there are several to which they respond despite raising little or nothing.

Instead of complaining, I'd work on my gratitude a bit. And think about buying a place that's not in a 10 year Flood Plain.

[Rank Amateur]

So to all the people who donated their hard earned dollars to the flood victims and I don't care where they were at in Oregon, (but Vernonia got all the play), you don't care if 30% of the money hits the ground??? I for one would like to see the books.

We are very grateful for all the help we have received, but the Red Cross seems to come up short and this is twice.

The Red Cross representative here in town promised they would be here as long as there was a need, well homeless people would seem to be a need if you asked me.

10 year flood plain and buying people cars.

[Smoked Salmon]

Originally Posted by saber_jack

Red Cross will never get a dime of my money after they lined their coffers after 9/11. Millions of dollars that people thought were going to a specific cause got thrown into another pot of money entirely.

just my .02

I'm not familiar with those complaints, but if you donated to the Red Cross following the World Trade Center's collapse, and are concerned about what happened with that money, I would recommend writing them a letter asking for explanation.

If I donate to a charity, it is a gift. I have no expectation, and there are no strings attached.

[Thumper]

Most of us think of The Red Cross as Aunt Bea serving a plate of cookies after we donate blood.

Or we envision The Red Cross as a group of nice folks who rush to our aid when disasters strike.

That is the image that the organization carefully crafts.

People do not really understand the business of The American Red Cross. It is a huge organization, and operates at a substantial positive cash flow. Its humanitarian activities are only a piece of its business.

In addition to its charitable work, The Red Cross is also the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation. Of the organization's over $6 billion (2007 est.) in annual sales, blood and blood products generate over $2 billion. That's billion, with a "B".

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, the Red Cross's overall program expenses were:

Domestic disaster services 2,630,766,000
Biomedical services (mostly blood sales) 2,103,572,000
Health and safety services 224,594,000
International relief and development services 154,283,000
Community services 133,467,000
Armed Forces emergency services 54,096,000

Total Program Expenses:

$5,300,778,000

The blood products business is really quite astounding. Basically you (the blood donor) voluntarily give blood (typically without payment) to The Red Cross, and the organization then packages, safety tests and distributes it to the nation's hospitals. The selling price of that "donated" blood averages about $200 per unit, payable back to the Red Cross by your insurance company or the individual patient, if uninsured. Cost of raw material --- basically zero. Price when sold --- $200.

Do a little homework. Learn about The American Red Cross. It is not a goody-two-shoes kind of organization. It is a heck of a business, and a very, very successful one for sure.

http://charityreports.bbb.org/Public...?CharityID=679

[Silver Hilton]

Originally Posted by Rank Amateur

I for one would like to see the books.

The link I posted above shows you a summary of the books. If you haven't seen them, it's because you chose not to look. Their audited financial statements are available here http://www.redcross.org/pubs/car06/2006CFS.pdf.

I can appreciate that you are frustrated, but it took less than 15 seconds to find this information.

[PIR8 Hook]

I am sorry that you are unhappy with the Red Cross. When my mother burnt her house down they were there before the fire department left getting her an motel room, clothes, even her dentures that were burned up.....Helped with grief with the loss of her dog etc. I can't say enough good about Clara Barton's organization!

[Irish Pennant]

By now the state government should have enough resources in place that the RC is no longer needed. If the state government doesn't have the resources there then that's where you need to direct your indignation. Government is more than just light rail and trams or have they forgot that.

[JustCallMeDave]

Maybe the complaint doesn't lie with the Red Cross leaving so soon, but with FEMA arriving so late and screwing this disaster up, too?

[Troutinator]

Originally Posted by JustCallMeDave

Maybe the complaint doesn't lie with the Red Cross leaving so soon, but with FEMA arriving so late and screwing this disaster up, too?

[24 on/ 48 off]

All the extra fire and police and rescue personnel are gone

The extra fire department coverage is still in Vernonia and Mist as of this morning. In fact, I will be working in Mist tomorrow. Yesterday, both Cornelius and Forest Grove had fire engines in Vernonia. I don't know who it is today.

[OceanBlue]

Perhaps some frustration is warranted. However, did you ever stop to think what those folks would have done had the Red Cross not been there at all?

Just a different perspective. Some help is better than none.

[garyk]

Originally Posted by JustCallMeDave

Maybe the complaint doesn't lie with the Red Cross leaving so soon, but with FEMA arriving so late and screwing this disaster up, too?

Remember that new Federal agency created a few years back (from Slate Magzine Feb 2004):

"The Department of Homeland Security is requesting $40.2 billion for the coming year—10 percent more than the $36.5 billion it got for this year, 28 percent more than the $31.2 billion it received in FY 2003. Those are the official numbers, cited on the DHS home page and reported in many news stories..."

The point is, hundreds of billions spent so far, and -- and as last week's storm so clearly indicated -- precious little on-the-ground emergency infrastructure to show for it.

All that money spent, and the local agencies don't even have satellite phones to communicate with. A dire situation in Vernonia, and we're relying on volunteers and charity to alleviate a crisis.

I don't know where those $billions are going but those gray plastic bins we put our shoe's into when going thru airport security can't cost THAT much.

[Queeg]

why do people feel entitled to Red Cross services? How much have you given them in your lifetime, are you coming up short or what?

It's not like it's a government agency supported by taxes ... like some mentioned herein.

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by garyk

The point is, hundreds of billions spent so far, and -- and as last week's storm so clearly indicated -- precious little on-the-ground emergency infrastructure to show for it.

And not one single attack on the U.S. homeland since 9/11.

Money very well spent!

[nehalemguy]

Originally Posted by matttheduck

Instead of complaining, I'd work on my gratitude a bit. And think about buying a place that's not in a 10 year Flood Plain.

Many of the homes and business that flooded are above the 100 year plain and some are even above the 500 year plain. Hillsboro Argus wrote an article about this last week. Your own home could be only one day away from an earthquake, wind storm, fire, etc... No one is disaster proof.

Eric

[JustCallMeDave]

garyk,

Quit baiting me.

Originally Posted by Thumper

And not one single attack on the U.S. homeland since 9/11.

Money very well spent!

And only a few near misses with asteroids, the Blazers have won five in a row, and Google's stock is doing quite well. Those gray bins do certainly have supernatural powers.

[Smoked Salmon]

Originally Posted by 24 on/ 48 off

The extra fire department coverage is still in Vernonia and Mist as of this morning. In fact, I will be working in Mist tomorrow. Yesterday, both Cornelius and Forest Grove had fire engines in Vernonia. I don't know who it is today.

You are correct. I misspoke. I meant to say that whereas there had been a huge number of resource and personnel, now it was back to a much lower level. I saw Cornelius personnel today, helping any way they could, and just helped some firemen from Banks unload into the Food Bank.

The good news is that the Red Cross is providing shelter at least through Monday.

[Maddie'sDaddy]

Question, where does the stuff donated to the red cross as in material items go when they leave town on monday? We have a bunch of things still coming and being deliverd up there by friends , we just want to make sure it gets to the people of Vernonia. Is there another outlet or will the donation center stay open even when they leave?



MD




MD

[Rank Amateur]

The city has designated spots for supplies, check at City Hall. There are many volunteers that are manning these relief centers. We do not rely on the Red Cross for that, in fact that is were a lot of the rub is at. Many of you donated to the local food bank and that was great, but why didn't you donate to the Red Cross, because they wouldn't filter down that money to where it was needed, the same is true with the rest of town. If you want your money to go directly to the cause you really want it to go to, don't funnel through the Red Cross, it won't get there.

[lost_sailor]

This is all very interesting. I think we assume a lot of things about this stuff until we're right in the middle of it. Remember the Red Cross is an international organization, a huge entity as described in Thumper's excellent post - - - I feel bad for Vernonians, but it's not like you're ***** and cut and dying in the middle of your burning village in Darfur. Admit it! I live on a hill so I'm heartless until the mudslide takes me down . I'm kidding !! J / K !!! I'll get out now. Good reading, good luck out there. Tell me what I can do, I know our school and church are already on it. We gave some money, food & clothes.

[letsfish]

People do not really understand the business of The American Red Cross. It is a huge organization, and operates at a substantial positive cash flow. Its humanitarian activities are only a piece of its business.

Of the organization's over $6 billion (2007 est.) in annual sales, blood and blood products generate over $2 billion. That's billion, with a "B".

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, the Red Cross's overall program expenses were:
Domestic disaster services 2,630,766,000
Biomedical services (mostly blood sales) 2,103,572,000
Health and safety services 224,594,000
International relief and development services 154,283,000
Community services 133,467,000
Armed Forces emergency services 54,096,000

Total Program Expenses:

$5,300,778,000

Do a little homework. Learn about The American Red Cross. It is not a goody-two-shoes kind of organization. It is a heck of a business, and a very, very successful one for sure.

Oops!! Hey Thumper. Seems your math has deceived you. I tried to high light the error in yourhomework.
Expenses are a cost, a deficeit(2,103,572,000 for Biomed Services-mostlly blood sells).
You state that blood sales generate a over 2 billion.
Do the math:
Sales ....over 2,000,000,000
Expenses....2,103,572,000
Hmm, seems there is little or No profit in the blood sales.
Further, if total sales are 6 billion and expenses are 5.3 billion that is where there is a disparity.
Disclaimer: I am not a Cpa or adapt at number crunching.If I have errored please forgive me!

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by letsfish

Oops!! Hey Thumper. Seems your math has deceived you......
Do the math:
Sales ....over 2,000,000,000
Expenses....2,103,572,000
Hmm, seems there is little or No profit in the blood sales.

Disclaimer: I am not a Cpa or adapt at number crunching.If I have errored please forgive me!

The sale of blood products is actually one of the most profitable elements of the Red Cross product line. It's all in how direct costs, overhead, G&A and reserves are added into costs; i.e., the accounting principles of non-profit organizations.

The Red Cross is one of the most profitable health care firms in the world. Believe me, I deal with them most every week.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.:tongue:

[Smoked Salmon]

Any Costco employees out there? I just returned for the Hillsboro store and noticed that each register had a "Donate to Red Cross" & "Help Western Oregon flood victims" sign at each register. Every dollar donated would go right to the Red Cross.

I'll defend the Red Cross 'til the cows come home, but it seems a little bit disingenuous to add that bit about helping flood victims when they (Red Cross) are about ready to leave the scene. So, any word to management to change the wording or take down the signs would be appreciated. People can still donate to Wauna FCU or US Bank, and I'm sure there are others set up where the money goes to the 5 affected counties directly.

thanks,
Bill