2023 United Way

Although I retired five years ago, the Office of Human Resources at the university keeps my name label current--they send me notices about health care programs for which I'm not eligible, and "Bucks for Charity" (a United Way Campaign for the university community) booklets. Before I toss the booklet for 2005 (why is it coming in 2006?), I browse a bit through what I'm not going to support. Inside I find the campaign was Oct. 10-Dec. 2 (lost in the Christmas rush?), and that it includes eleven local federations of charities.

One of the eleven is COSMO, Community Share of Mid Ohio and its figure is 10%--and I think that is 10% of the total charity. Then within that, other agencies get a percentage of that 10% (this is a guess, because I can't find the explanation--although the figure could be the percentage of their total budget for each group). Within this acronym is

the ACLU mid-Ohio chapter, 18.8%;

BRAVO, which works to eliminate violence perpetrated on the basis of sexual orientation and gender, 31%;

Kaleidoscope for gay, lesbian, bixexual, transgendered and questioning youth, 14.8%;

NARAL Pro-Choice (formerly known as National Abortion Rights Action League, then the National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League, but it still kills babies);

Coalition on sexual assault;

domestic violence network, 5.7%;

NOW education and Legal Fund, 12% (recently changed its name to Legal Momentum apparently to hide its connection to NOW);

Open Hand for AIDS, 15%;

Stonewall (gay rights), 19.1%;

a variety of environmental, disability, animal rights, and arts groups;

Camp Fire, 28%; Cat Welfare 1%; and Habitat for Humanity, 4.9%.

Why Cat Welfare and Habitat are included with ACLU and gay advocacy, and Camp Fire isn't with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts over in the Central Ohio group, I have no idea, but if I were going to donate, this lump sum would turn me off big time, and I support both of them privately. My sweet kitty is a Cat Welfare graduate.

Then there is also in the booklet a United Way of Central Ohio with 67 agencies, and a Black United Fund of Ohio, which "supports projects serving critical human service needs of Ohioans." It includes 12 members agencies, but not one description says the agency is for blacks. Can you imagine the uproar if there were a whites-only category in United Way?

I think I blogged about this last year--can't find it--but about 20 years ago I was invited to a big party because I was in the top category of donors for the campus campaign. It was sponsored by a beer company. I never donated again.