I've been nominated twice now for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge by my friends on Facebook, and I'm sorry to disappoint but I will not be taking part.
Hopefully my friends will be able to understand, as I hope will you, and I also hope that I am not criticised for my personal opinions.
So anyways, I was scrolling through Facebook, watching the endless amount of videos that have already been posted and I came across one that had been 'shared' by one of my friends. Some of you may have seen it - it basically features a man sitting in a wheelie bin of ice, reading facts from a piece of paper. I was curious about his findings and decided to look it up myself!
The ALS Association is a charitable organisation but only 27 pence from every pound you donate actually goes towards research. Added to this the fact that their CEO has a salary of $339,475 per year, I have decided that I do not want to give my money to them. (You can view this information for yourself at the bottom of this post)
So next I researched the same information about Cancer Research - a charity that I am particularly fond of - and found that 80 pence per pound funds research. While this is already a million times better than ALS I was pretty disheartened to find that the CEO earns £100,000 per year.
... Rant over, moving on...
So it got me thinking again... Since I want to spend my money how I want to - and ALS have already raised SO much, mine won't make much of a difference - I feel that it needs to go to a deserved place and one that is close to my heart. Before my uncle passed away, he was cared for in a Cancer Specialist Hospice in North-West London. It costs £1,000 to care for one patient for one week, which is funded solely by donations. They cared for my uncle SO well and tended to his every need. I will be giving my money to them, along with a few other things such as books for the patients to read.
I'm not trying to preach to you, I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty and I am also not trying to be a killjoy - I'm simply expressing my opinion. I've enjoyed watching the ice bucket videos and I know that ALS have raised a lot of money which I hope they will use wisely.
You're all doing brilliantly - good luck!!
Here are the salaries for the leadership of the ALS group from the 2013 tax return:
- Jane H. Gilbert – President and CEO – $339,475.00
- Daniel M. Reznikov – Chief Financial Officer – $201,260.00
- Steve Gibson – Chief Public Policy Officer – $182,862.00
- Kimberly Maginnis - Chief of Care Services Officer – $160,646.00
- Lance Slaughter - Chief Chapter Relations and Development Officer – $152,692.00
- Michelle Keegan – Chief Development Officer – $178,744.00
- John Applegate – Association Finance Officer – $118.726.00
- David Moses – Director of Planned Giving – $112,509.00
- Carrie Munk – Chief Communications and Marketing Officer – $142,875.00
- Patrick Wildman – Director of Public Policy – $112,358.00
- Kathi Kromer – Director of State Advocacy – $110,661.00
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