Salvation Army won't take lotto donation.

[Guest Anglesault]

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. (Jan. 1) - The Salvation Army will not accept a $100,000 donation from a Florida Lotto winner because its local leader didn't want to take money associated with gambling.

 

David L. Rush, 71, announced the gift last week. He held one of four winning tickets in the $100 million Florida Lotto jackpot drawing of Dec. 14 and took a $14.3 million lump sum payment.

 

Maj. Cleo Damon, head of the Salvation Army office in Naples, told Rush that he could not take his money and returned the check, which another official had accepted.

 

``There are times where Major Damon is counseling families who are about to become homeless because of gambling,'' said spokeswoman Maribeth Shanahan. ``He really believes that if he had accepted the money, he would be talking out of both sides of his mouth.''

 

Rush also donated $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity and $50,000 to the Rotary Club of Marco Island. Both groups accepted the gifts.

 

``Everybody has a right to be sanctimonious if they want to be,'' said Rush. ``I respect the Salvation Army's decision. I do not agree with it, but that is their prerogative.'' He said he has been giving money to the Salvation Army, an evangelical Christian organization, for 40 years.

 

Rush sees the lottery, which has raised billions for Florida schools, as something other than a typical gambling organization.

 

``There's no bigger gamble than investing in the stock market,'' said Rush, a financial adviser. ``For them to say this is gambling is an overstatement.''

 

01/01/03 12:03 EST

 

Wow.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

Gotta admire the man for sticking to his principles, but regardless of where that money came from (as long as it isn't blood money), it could've done a lot of good for the organization and the people of the community.

 

Plus, I don't really consider the Lotto true "gambling" because even though it is by definition, states that outlaw gambling still have Lottos, so it isn't legally gambling. If that makes sense.

[Guest buffybeast]

The man shouldn't let his personal morals get in the way of helping the needy and effectively doing his job. He should take the damn money.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Wonder if Rush would give me that check -- I'd put it to use for a worthy cause.

 

Mine...

[Guest Eagan469]

Salvation Army:

 

We take your donations and sell them to needy people instead of just giving them away!

[Guest DrTom]

Plus, I don't really consider the Lotto true "gambling"...

It may not be true gambling, but IMO, what the lottery is, is a way for states to bilk the poor and middle class out of their money.

 

Regardless, charities shouldn't look too hard at where the money's coming from. As long as it's going for a good cause, that's what's important. Sticking to your principles is admirable, but when doing so makes your organization poorer and potentially shafts the people you try to help, then it's time to draw the line.

[Guest Mole]

I think the S.A. should of taken it.

 

It is money, and the people who need the money, need the money.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Chruches gladly take money made from gambling and most churches offer some form of the same services...

 

I honestly don't see how the Salvation Army is any different, considering the economy...and the fact that I don't know many people who would offer to donate money they won to the Salvation Army or any other charity..

[Guest NoCalMike]

I think the S.A. should have asked themselves, "do the hungry kids of third world countries, care that this money came from a state lottery?"

 

Or they could have directed the generous fellow to another charity that does good work for needy people, that might not care about where the money came from.

[Guest CED Ordonez]

Damon's commendable for sticking to his morals, but I can't believe he went against the adage of "Never look a gift horse in the mouth" especially after another Salvation Army official accepted the donation.

 

However, $150,000 did go to a charitable cause through the other organizations, so there's the positive note.

[Guest So what? I liked bubble boy]

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. (Jan. 1) - The Salvation Army will not accept a $100,000 donation from a Florida Lotto winner because its local leader didn't want to take money associated with gambling.

 

David L. Rush, 71, announced the gift last week. He held one of four winning tickets in the $100 million Florida Lotto jackpot drawing of Dec. 14 and took a $14.3 million lump sum payment.

 

Maj. Cleo Damon, head of the Salvation Army office in Naples, told Rush that he could not take his money and returned the check, which another official had accepted.

 

``There are times where Major Damon is counseling families who are about to become homeless because of gambling,'' said spokeswoman Maribeth Shanahan. ``He really believes that if he had accepted the money, he would be talking out of both sides of his mouth.''

 

Rush also donated $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity and $50,000 to the Rotary Club of Marco Island. Both groups accepted the gifts.

 

``Everybody has a right to be sanctimonious if they want to be,'' said Rush. ``I respect the Salvation Army's decision. I do not agree with it, but that is their prerogative.'' He said he has been giving money to the Salvation Army, an evangelical Christian organization, for 40 years.

 

Rush sees the lottery, which has raised billions for Florida schools, as something other than a typical gambling organization.

 

``There's no bigger gamble than investing in the stock market,'' said Rush, a financial adviser. ``For them to say this is gambling is an overstatement.''

 

01/01/03 12:03 EST

 

Wow.

This is nuts, heard of something called "a blessing?"

[Guest DrTom]

I've never understood why charities quibble over where their money comes from. They live -- and other people die -- on how much money they're able to raise for whatever their cause is. If a drug baron wants to give them $10 million, should they shake their heads and say, "No, we couldn't possbily accept money you made from selling cocaine." Or should they take it and put it to good use? As long as you do good with the money, IMO, it doesn't matter where it comes from.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

Yea, but if the organization helps find housing for poor people or something, and the reason the people they help are poor is because they're addicted to crack, wouldn't that be counter-productive? Also, can you imagine the furor if that got "leaked" to the media?

 

Granted, it's a terrible example, but it's the best I could come up with right now. And yea, the lottery is mainly used to tempt the poor/middle class and steal their money, but enough rich people do that every so often some big lawyer or something will win a big jackpot. That pisses the hell out of me because if you're making $70,000+ a year already, what the hell do you need all that extra lottery money for?

[Guest DrTom]

And yea, the lottery is mainly used to tempt the poor/middle class and steal their money, but enough rich people do that every so often some big lawyer or something will win a big jackpot.

It's not really the big jackpots I'm talking about, even though they'd apply, since the chances of winning are so ludicrously small. Daily drawings like Pick 3 are bigger culprits. The payouts are much lower, but people still flock to play them. I used to work for a lottery agent years ago, and I swear, it looked like some of the people were cobbling the money together from what they found in their couch cushions. Then, when MD went to twice-daily drawings for its Pick 3 and 4 games, the same people were playing twice as often. It's a vicious circle. Lotteries are run as businesses, and businesses have to make money. They do that by enticing poor folks to part with money they could spend more wisely elsewhere. I don't even bother with the lottery unless there's a big jackpot... hell, I'll take a crack at a pile of millions, even if my chances of getting hit by lightning twice on the way home from the store are greater than my odds of winning.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

...but there's still a chance. heh.