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Whitby Free Press, 7 Dec 1988, p. 7

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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1988, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN HEOTHERSIDE g the FENCE By Doug Anderson TORONTO J. TORONTO A PUBLIC NEED • A PRIVATE CHARITY Virtually every non-government charity has the same two pressing needs: more money and more volunteers. Yet for an organization whose raison d'etre is either cultural or some form of social service, the skills for fund-raising or recruitment are secondary ...but vital to continuing the very service they exist for. What brings this to mind is the supplement in this paper for the 25th anniversary of the Whitby Branch of the St. John Ambulance. Shirley Spicer, their branch manager, asked me if we could do a page in the paper with advertising sponsors - "but it can't cost us anything." "How about four pages - you supply some stories about the history and activities of St. John and we will get the advertising support from local businesses." Our objective: to get the St. John message into 20,000 homes, to provide them with a promotional vehicle they could never otherwise afford and, hopefully, to enhance their own fundaising and recruitment efforts. St. John Ambulance is a high-profile, well-established organization. It also has a mandate to provide first aid training courses to most of the businesses in Whitby. Finding support for this supplement should have been easy, but it wasn't. It was like pulling teeth. We contacted fifty or sixty businesses which Shirley felt would support them, but, with the exception of those few businesses whose ads appear, the answer was no. I've been involved in fund-raising for several non-profit groups and yet, I was surprised at how insulated the business sector has become. I, like many other fund raisers, have been told "You'll have to go out and raise your own money - there's lots of it out there - try some of the corporations - they've all got budgets for such things. Besides if you raise your own money, you'll spend it much more wisely." Such admonitions invariably come from politicians and bureaucrats - they have a hollow ring. More and more, as charities are turned away by govern- ment they seek support from the business sector which, out of necessity, turns down all but the most persistent. In order te get past the front door, they hire fundraising consultants and public relations specialists. Slick expensive presentations are used te turn the heads of business executives. As a result, the money raised goes more and more into the fund-raising activities themselves. Smaller groups, out of necessity, spend a lot less money on fund-raising but, instead, a highly disproportionate amount of energy. Thus we have the paradox in this com- munity of the Whitby Historical Society putting 80% of its energy into operating bingos te support the museum and a youth band holding bottle drives instead of practising their parts. St. John's primary function is the provision of first aid and BURNS' PRESBYTE1UAN CHURCH, ASIBURN, 1907 first aid training. In Ontario, there are more than 4,000 vol- This frame church was buiît in 1857 and was destroyed by fire on Feb. 12, 1967. Theflrst unteers in 150 brigade units. Each volunteer averages 120 burials in the cemetery surrounding the church were infant children of Adam Duif, who died hours f unpid duy evey year Manypubli evens arein August, 1858. A modern church was built east of the original in 1967-68.WhtyAcvepoo hours of unpaid duty every year. Many public events are required by law te have the presence of first aid facilities and trained personnel. St. John provides these ...free. The saving to the taxpayer, especially corporate taxpayers, 1 ER G is incalculable, yet when asked for a donation - "I'm sorry, enedy Dcme 6 98 dtono h we've spent our budget." or "You'1l have to talk to Mr. , en adodbsrtie HTYFE RS r ~~but he's on holidays and won't be back for a month." fo h uiia fiesafatr2 er'srie Private charities are increasingly squeezed by growing*MaoJiGashrhaanonetatfvdvepesilfnncWibysnutia demands for their service, less financial support and a pooinporm constant struggle to recruit new volunteers.teiphogphetetwn There is a feeling amongst politicians and bureaucrats *Jh efisi h 99peieto h rolnHriutrlScey that services provided by government are essential and those by private agencies somewhat less so, but historically govern- mente have provided such services only when private agen-25Y SAG cies could no longer do the job. Private charities have always foiteTusaDcme ,16 ciino h and continue to provide essential services at little or no cottWITYWEJYNW to the taxpayer. In the past, when a need became too> great*WarnJMo tisWibsmaofr1946.Ol50prctofegbevtrsat for them to manage, the governmnent was willing to step in terblosi h uiia lcin and take it over. Hence hospitals and libraries are now part *Jh cvri h 94peieto h oa aainLgo rnh12 of the public sector but first aid and art galleries are not. *Tw oni a gedt eImncplwtrt aeOtroSel oae nWib But governments are no longer quite so willing. EvenTo shp hospitals are raising more and more money in the private *WlimDvdo eertdhs7t itdyo lcindy e.2adwsr-lce sector. Taxpayers pay vricesn ust iac h oteWib onCucl bureaucracy and won't dig any deeper. But if private charities find themselves squeezed to where they can't continue, their services will have to be taken on by 100 YEARS AGO governments. They will be added to our taxes with all the from the Friday, December 7, 1888 edition of the inefficiencies that that implies. -WHITBY CHRONICLE Obviously governments can't provide everything, but, * Rev. Dr. William Ormiston, of New York City, fomerly of Whitby, will deliver a lecture at along with industry, they need to recognize that there are St. Andrews Presbyterian Church today. needs that are not being adequately met, and it is their joint * There is an effort to get the military drill shed moved fon Centennial Park te the'new responsibility to find ways to handle them better. fair grounds at Dundas and Garden Streets. In the meantime, those businesses that gave our e "ather" DeGeer, aged 84, had dinner on the l2th concession of Reach and walked to supplement the cold shoulder can soothe their guilt by Brooklin, a distance of 17 miles, the sane evening. sending a donation to the St. John Ambulance (or the charity e Frank Bailey was badly scalded when a barrel of steam from the boiler burst as W.J. of their choice), or better still, offer your time as a volunteer Murrays tannery in Brooldn. fund-raiser and find out what it•s aTl about.hereisnefforttogethemilitrydrilshedmoedfrom en

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