Charity // Current

Charities In Need This Season

These nine charities have been hit particularly hard by the Wall Street crisis. Here are a few of them, and included on the link is what we can do to help:

1. Food Bank
Why they’re hurting: Washington Mutual and Lehman Brothers used to hold corporate volunteering days at the Food Bank’s 90,000-square-foot warehouse in Hunts Point. “Now we’ve lost that entire network,” says spokeswoman Carol Schneider. Meanwhile, the number of people who need the Food Bank’s services is rapidly rising. “I just got an e-mail from the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger,” says Schneider. “They’ve seen 1,200 people in the last two days. At least 50 of the families are completely new.”

2. Citymeals on Wheels
Why they’re hurting: The fall of Bear Stearns and several generous hedge-fund donors has taken a huge toll. “Altogether, we’ve lost $1.286 million this year. That’s about 200,000 meals,” says executive director Marcia Stein. While volunteers are always needed, what the charity really could use is more cash. “We need to make up losses in a time when food costs are rising by more than 7 percent.”

3. United Way
Why they’re hurting: The organization has long-standing relationships with Fortune 500 companies like Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase, but many have cut back on their annual giving. “Our revenues are down, but our needs are up,” says Steve Kaufman, senior director of community affairs. “For every job lost on Wall Street, an additional 3.3 jobs are lost throughout the state’s economy,” a state of affairs that will undoubtedly affect the low-income communities his group serves.

4. Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Why they’re hurting: Bear Stearns was involved in the charity’s workplace-mentoring program, which brought teenagers into an office twice a month throughout the school year to learn about the professional world. “We have 47 corporations that have managed to stay with us,” says Michael Corriero, director of the New York office. “But if one leaves, that’s ten, fifteen, twenty kids left without a place to go.”

5. Habitat for Humanity
Why they’re hurting: Volunteers (including many former Bear staffers) are still willing to wield a hammer to build affordable-housing units for Habitat, but it’s the high cost of construction materials that will likely restrain projects. Since 2002, construction costs have shot up $112 per square foot. “It’s so crucial that we get donations,” says executive director Josh Lockwood. “We have a project in Brownsville where there are 8,000 requests for 41 condominiums.”

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Tis' the season, as they say.These nine charities have been hit particularly hard by the Wall Street crisis. Here are a few of them, and included on the link... more

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THEY have good looks, but they could use some serious help straightening out their books.

George Clooney, Bono, Wyclef Jean, Petra Nemcova and a half-dozen other celebs have founded charities that have some eyebrow-raising business practices, The Post uncovered in a sweeping review.

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Stella Fuller gave her time to help the needy - The Herald Dispatch

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second installment of a four-part series profiling this year's inductees for the Greater Huntington Wall of Fame. Today's profile is on Stella Fuller.

Stella Fuller was born Dec. 4, 1883, on a farm on Guyan Creek near Glenwood. She graduated from Marshall Business College and then worked for a law firm in Welch, where she supervised a group of stenographers. She married Elmer Fuller in 1907, settled in Huntington and had one son, Bob.

She joined the Salvation Army and began her career as a volunteer, later becoming their part-time secretary. Her humanitarian instincts blossomed as a volunteer in November 1918, when a nationwide influenza epidemic paralyzed Huntington.

Fuller attained the title of "Envoy Fuller" in the Salvation Army and headed a new branch that opened at Johnson's Lane in Huntington, where she built a recreational program with the assistance of the WPA Program of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, consisting of softball and basketball teams.

Twenty-five years later, on Jan. 10, 1943, she opened the Door of Hope and Friendship at the Stella Fuller Mission, welcoming people of all ages and religious backgrounds to join. Under her leadership, the settlement expanded into the area's largest haven for the deprived and homeless.

On Oct. 14, 1980, Stella Fuller Day was proclaimed by the mayor of the city of Huntington to acknowledge her 60 years of service in helping the poor and disadvantaged. She died a year later.

ABOUT THE WALL OF FAME: The Wall of Fame was established in 1986 and includes famous Huntingtonians from comedian Soupy Sales to former Marshall football coach Bob Pruett. It is located inside the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

EVENT INFO: The induction ceremony will take place Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. A reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the ceremony at 8 p.m. Reservations for the event are required. Reservations can be made by e-mailing City of Huntington Foundation President Maxine Loudermilk at loudermilkm@cityofhuntington.com or by calling her at 304-696-5522. Tickets for a corporate table are $1,000 or $500 for a half-corporate table. Individual tickets are $50.EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second installment of a four-part series profiling this year's inductees for the Greater... more