Saying No to Fund-Raisers: Charities Are the Ones Hurt

I would like to say a few words concerning Davilynn Furlow’s column on the selling of fund-raising items at work (“Can’t Buy the Idea of Colleague Vendors,” Jan. 29).

First, it does get to be a bit much, and it is up to each individual to determine how much his or her budget can afford. We all have experienced the difficulty of giving to a charity only to be bombarded every day with mail depicting dead whales, abused children, homeless, etc.

But one doesn’t neglect all charities because it gets out of hand. You pick which one you want to give to and disregard the rest. The same applies to children’s fund raising: You decide how much and when.

Second, the No. 1 reason that children are selling these items is not to fine-tune their selling skills but to cover the cost of these activities. The fee for soccer or Little League would be prohibitively expensive if parents were to pay the real cost of the activity. What would ensue is that a lot of children would not be able to play because their parents would not be able to afford the fee.

Third, school fund-raising items should definitely be sold everywhere and anywhere without any qualms or conscience--in the bathroom, at the Xerox machine, you name it.

Perhaps there would be a little more sympathy knowing that some parents are desperately raising funds for balls, materials and teacher aids for overcrowded classrooms--things that used to be routinely supplied.

Fourth, there are plenty of instances in the workplace in which you have to say no to a colleague. Someone is always taking up a donation for a gift for a shower, birthday, etc. But everyone is free to say no, and it shouldn’t make a difference if it’s your boss.

When President Bush spoke about his “thousand points of light,” I don’t think he meant to exempt Orange County. However, studies have proven that Orange County residents are far from generous, a sad state of affairs considering how much better off we are than a lot of other regions.

Ms. Furlow, however unintentionally, is offering a justification for such a mind-set and has done a disservice to those groups struggling to stay afloat.

SARA HAZLEWOOD, Orange