United No Way
When I was a baby, the year I was born my medical expenses were almost half of my father’s income. Which is pretty good compared to now, when it would be multiples of the equivalent income.
My mother has always been opposed to the United Way, dating back to that time, and in her job at the post office was a holdout in the drive to get everyone to donate to them. What Liberty’s boss did was wrong, yet understandable from a goal accomplishment at any cost, failure to embrace other people’s principles sort of perspective.
As I understand it, and for all I know her memory of the details is so clouded with time that it was entirely different. When they had me in the hospital in Boston, and/or when they were taking me into Boston a couple times a week subsequently, there were wealthy people at the hospital that United Way (it may have been one of their supported agencies or something) was helping, but they wouldn’t help us. She was disgusted by the whole thing.
I picked up a healthy skepticism of United Way from that, but also there are the other factors Liberty mentions. They might as well be considered nothing more than a paid fundraising service for other organizations.
I have never given a dime to United Way and I never will. I didn’t like the arm-twisting methods my employers always used to PERSUADE me to contribute, and I know too many people who went to the United Way in need and were turned down.
My buddy Catfish had a son born with a rare form of cancer. Even with insurance, his medical bills were more than $200,000 before Ryan even got out of the hospital. United Way told him to go screw himself when he went to them for help.
The March of Dimes and the Shriners came through for him, then Duke University Medical College took over from there, because they wanted to study the cancer and work on a cure. Only seven children in the world had it.
Ryan is now 27 years old and working in New York City. No thanks AT ALL to the United Way.
Posted by Acidman on 02/23 at 02:08 PMI, too, had a high-pressure charity experience, but mine was Campus Chest. I got eagerly persued by my direct report, because our Dean wanted a 100% participation statement. I flatly refused and I suspect that my direct report made a $1 donation in my name so that his boss would go away.
I don’t get this either.
Posted by on 02/23 at 03:27 PM
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