Dear Friend: A second consecutive week of committee meetings in Tallahassee has just concluded. During the past two weeks, I filed two more bills in advance of the 2010 Legislative Session. My remaining bills will be filed in the next few weeks as I finalize the details.
Haiti Assistance: As you know, last week Haiti suffered its worst earthquake in 200 years.
With tens of thousands confirmed dead, and hundreds of thousands injured, our neighbor to the south is in dire need of our assistance. Not surprisingly, Floridians have responded in force, donating money, goods and on-the-ground assistance to help the island nation.
There are a number of local organizations in South Florida helping Haiti. Here are just a few: South Florida chapters of the American Red Cross are collecting donations. Cell phone users can make a $10 donation by texting "HAITI" to 90999, and $10 will be added to your phone bill.
Donations can be made by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-733-2767.
The United Way of Broward County, along with United Way Worldwide, says donations can be made online by credit card at unitedwaybroward.org. Checks should be made payable to "United Way of Broward County – Haiti" and mailed to United Way of Broward County, 1300 S. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316. You can also donate online at www.unitedwaybroward.org or by texting the word “Haiti” 864833 to make a one-time $5 donation. All donations will be used to provide immediate disaster relief in the form of food, shelter, supplies and clothing.
The United Way of Palm Beach County is accepting monetary checks sent to: United Way of Palm Beach County, 2600 Quantum Boulevard, Boynton Beach, FL 33426-8627. Checks should be made out to UWPBC/Haiti Relief Efforts. Go to http://www.unitedwaypbc.org for online donations. For information, call 561- 375-6600.
The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County is partnering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to provide urgent aid and relief to victims. Call 561-852-3100 or donate at jewishboca.org.
Avoid Fraud: Please keep in mind that while there are many ways to donate money and supplies to help Haitians, there are also those who wish to take advantage of our generosity. To that end, the Florida Attorney General issued a news release, which “cautioned that emails and websites requesting donations may appear legitimate, but could be a ploy to gain personal information and consumers are encouraged to verify the validity of charitable organizations before making any donations.”
The Attorney General provided the following tips to identify and avoid fraudulent charities:
- Always make sure a charity is registered before donating and check on how a charity spends its money. Consumers have the right to ask for an organization's financial report and its federal tax identification number which is necessary to claim contributions as tax deductions.
- Don't judge an organization based on an impressive sounding name. Find out what it actually does. Additionally, be wary of emotional appeals and organizations that have only vague plans for spending the funds they collect.
- Never give cash. Write a check payable only to an organization-not an individual. Be wary of organizations that offer to send a 'runner' to pick up donations. Reputable charities are willing to wait for contributions.
Complaints about fraudulent charities can be directed to the Attorney General’s fraud hotline at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226) or through the website at http://www.myfloridalegal.com. You can also contact the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to determine whether or not a particular organization is registered at 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352) or online at http://www.helpfla.com.
As always, I appreciate the opportunity to be of service to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff if you have any questions or concerns. Our district office number is (561) 470-6593
All the best, Kelly Skidmore, State Representative, District 90