Where Do Spooky Pooch Funds Go?

[dl meckes]

Where does the money go for Spooky Pooch? Are you helping animals with your entry fee?

Spooky Pooch 2017-10-21 at 2.13.52 PM.png (100.8 KiB) Viewed 3521 times

[Bridget Conant]

What happened to the animal shelter?

WOW.

[Jerry Ritcey]

I looked at their annual reports, and they don't seem to mention the shelter specifically going back to 2008. However, the reports are somewhat lacking in detail, giving a pie chart of expenses on general categories, not a detailed accounting.

[Michael Loje]

Hi all,

It has been a while since I have been on the Deck!

I helped develop the idea & execute the initial Spooky Pooch Parade. Lakewoodalive made a donation to the Lakewood Animal Shelter the first year.

In preparation for the second year, I approached the Lakewoodalive directors to secure their commitment for proceeds to be given to the Lakewood Animal Shelter. They would not.

I resigned.

I believe all future proceeds went to Lakewoodalive.

Rhonda Loje

[Jim O'Bryan]

I looked at their annual reports, and they don't seem to mention the shelter specifically going back to 2008. However, the reports are somewhat lacking in detail, giving a pie chart of expenses on general categories, not a detailed accounting.

All

If I may jump in for a second.

There is a massive difference between LakewoodAlive Version 1, and the group headed by Ian Andrews. For a start Ian actually has a pretty nice background in what he is doing, as opposed to a bunch of people throwing together to grease the skids for commercial economic development, and pay themselves nicely for trying to do it.

Ian, Allison, Matt, Mark, Lisa and crew, have an impressive record of working to save homes since they came in and took over.

Originally LakewoodAlive founded by Jay Foran, Brian Powers(yes i remember the call), Mary Ann Crampton, Sunny Updgrove, Shannon Strachan, Ed FitzGerald, and other bit players was formed to educate Lakewoodites on the need for commercial economic development. as Lakewoodites were too dumb to understand, why we needed the West End(not the award winning tavern, but a crappy strip mall). Upon losing that vote, they took 6 months and hundreds of emails to form this group, and proceeded to shove bad idea after bad idea down our throats. When that failed, they started co-opting other people's ideas, and small groups. Then came "The Mainstreet Project" with Jennifer Hooper, who was quickly moved to the side, as LakewoodAlive had acquired the status from our worthless at the time CDC Lakewood Community Project, Inc. In what was described as "a hostile takeover" by one of the board members, LakewoodAlive grew in strength and power under the Ed FitzGerald administration, and set their sites on "DowntowN" which was originally to help back up Bunts to Arthur, and generate money to develop the space "so that the Hospital would not close and leave". When this group failed at every turn, and the only money left to was in saving homes, they lost interest, no strip malls, no profits and moved on to Cornacopia, Mayor's Office, LHA, Active Living Task Force, Lakewood Hospital Foundation, Build Lakewood, and on and on.

In other words, instead of making the city better one home at a time, they worked together to close our largest employee and DowntowN anchor, liquidate $178 million in City of Lakewood Assets, into tens of millions for private foundations they now run and control, and are looking to develop the land they just purged with the millions boosted from the residents of Lakewood.

Again the current LakewoodAlive have very little to do with this group of whatevers, and work hard every day to save the city.

HOWEVER names like Forans, Pam Smith, Shannon Strachan still keep a finger in the operation of LA, as they desperately need control of everything.

We are working with early members of many Lakewood groups to provide a list and timeline of organizations, so you can be amazed at how they have their fingers in everything, and have been controlling the downfall of Lakewood for over a decade through many old and tired ideas they cannot let go of.

Please give Ian and crew support, they at least deserve it.

.

[Dan Alaimo]

A couple of years ago, they were looking for someone else to take over the SP parade. As I recall it was either not making money, or not making enough money. Kauffman Park Friends was interested in taking over the event, but such plans are no longer in the works. They have enjoyed great weather for the event recently and I believe it has done very well of late.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Working on a story to cover this.

Here are some facts, when no-profits hold events and charge money, generally it is to raise money to pay salaries and support their goals as laid out by their charter on non-profit filing.

In Ohio, Foundations have a ton of leeway in how they raise, and spend money. For non-profits that are not foundation the limitations are tighter, though there are many loopholes in that. Example I ran a race car team that was "educational" we raised money to provide education training in driving race cars.

Another example is Lakewood Hospital Foundation, that had about 30% of their funds in restricted accounts. Ambulance Chase money could only be used to put on the Ambulance Chase, but the funding raised could be used by the group for various health and wellness items. Currently LHF is backtracking to get the restricted funds eased so that they can be used for more than Lakewood Hospital. This is totally legal.

The IRS and donors should always look closely at the percentage that makes it to the final support check, and spend or support accordingly.

Police and Fire used to have a circus each year that tickets were sold for. About $500,000 was raised last time I looked, but by the time costs were taken out, the final check was often less than $40,000 to Metro Burn Center. Now the real facts were 45% of the funds paid for the telephone room and callers, then printing, travel, advertising, delivery, setting up and giving rides to handicap children etc. Still when all was said an done, the Burn Cneter was happy to get the check, and now mischief in accounting.

Ian Andrews and LakewoodAlive V2 are working their collective asses off in saving houses, neighborhoods, and presenting Lakewood in a positive fun light.

They deserve the funds they get.

.

[dl meckes]

If participants are aware of where the money is going, then there isn't a problem. Many people think the money is going to help dogs or animals.

Again, transparency is important.

[Missy Limkemann]

I am a 501c3 and ALL money goes directly to the dogs. There is NO salaray, NO fun stuff for me....it all goes directly to the dogs...food, bedding, toys, vet care which never ends. Personally I pay for cleaning supplies, and half the time, I pay for everything for the dogs as we don't get that much in for donations. I however have not been doing much in the way of events due to back to back surgeries for me and not being able to get out there. LOL.
I know many have thought the Spooky Pooch goes to the dogs in the community. I do not participate in the Spooky Pooch anymore because I just don't have the extra 25 dollars for booth space. It might not sound like much but that money can go to a bag of food, a vaccine, heartworm/flea medicine and for me that is way more important.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I am a 501c3 and ALL money goes directly to the dogs.

Missy

You and your effort has always been amazing, and a pure act of love. Why LakewoodAlive V2 does not give you a booth is beyond me.

This is an ideal situation, but you have been up against some fund raising issues in the past, while trying to enlarge if I remember.

Groups like LakewoodAlive, the Cleveland Foundation, Future Heights, and most non-profits have paid staffs. Many make profits, which are rolled over into bank accounts, etc. The non-profit 501-C3 part has more to do with the ability of donors to write off donations, than a statement that the staff has taken vows of poverty, like the Poor Claire’s. Who also receive compensation for their praying, in the form of food, a roof over their heads, clothing. Let remember the Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit.

But let's look at LakewoodAlive for a moment, as they are in the spot light. They organize many events, and need an event coordinator, insurance, promotion, workers at the event, and of course clean-up. They organize hundreds of house paintings, yard clean ups, intervention in saving people home, getting them cheap heat, and on and on and on. Again, every time any volunteer touches a brush to a house or climbs a ladder, insurance has to be paid, paint and tools need to be acquired, so let's say someone donates paint, and no one pays insurance or buys ladders, no paint is applied. The only real way to give programs like this a chance is to have a framework of a paid staff of professionals to keep the volunteers on point. Running an organization based solely on volunteers is very much like kitten herding.

So, the issues become in my mind, 1) percentages that make it to the projects and people in need. 2) Are the individuals hired by the company true believers of what they do what form of effort do they put out. What do they accomplish along the way. Here is where LakewoodAlive shines, moving from the original group that really only cared about commercial economic development in Lakewood, to what I call LA V2 which desperately believes in saving old homes, getting people safe in clean homes, and retaining property value while highlighting the great aspects of the city, I give them FIVE STARS. I have had the pleasure of talking to every member of the LA V2 staff, they give hundreds in not thousands of hours of unpaid time to the organization and the city. They are professional in what they do. Ian Andrews who just happened to buy the home of a friend of mine when he started at LA V2 was a dedicate professional and rising star of the Detroit Shoreway CDC*, which is also where Hillary Schickler came from, and that group has definitely made that area of the City better, with the help of Mount Carmel Church (also a nonprofit) which has funded much of the change around their church. When the switch was made and Ian was brought in, I supported the move and the hiring. He was a proven star in the CDC world. Seriously stop and talk to any member, walk into their offices (which they must pay for) and sit down and ask about heating, fund raising, homeless on the streets, and yes commercial development, and not only will they answer every question you can see the fire in their eyes and see the passion they have for their job and for this city. PS no one is getting rich at LakewoodAlive.

*CDC Community Development Corporations. A term that has popped up as part of the new "fondue" for cities that are desperately needed, to attract donations, volunteers, help and relief for not just aging cities, but all cities. ALL are dependent upon donations, which usually sees them gravitating to commercial interests. Example LakewoodAlive Version 1 got a majority if their operating budget from Lakewood Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, and eventually Cleveland Foundation. Which means like it or not, they lean heavily towards supporting programs and ideas they have. Hence the Light Up Lakewood switch being on the front porch of Lakewood Hospital. You desperately need to make your big donors happy. In Lakewood though LA V2 does a ton of work in Birdtown, very little money flows into the program from Birdtown. So where does it come from? The Clinic, businesses and oddly enough what I like to call "North Birdtown" ie north of Clifton Boulevard, as those are the people that look for tax deductions.

What Lakewood is missing is that "DowntowN" should be a SID, not part of the CDC. A SID is a Special Interest District, usually a small area, that is supported mostly by the businesses and residents in that district, and have many of the same fund raising and tax breaks that a CDC has. While Future Heights, Cleveland and University Heights CDC has dominion over those cities. Coventry, is a stand alone SID, paid mostly into by the merchants. Look at the success their.

Again, I understand people getting upset at where funding goes and why. But look into the eyes and the hearts of those doing the fundraising and work, and then make your decision to support or not. If you look into the eyes of Ian, Allison, Matt, Mark, Lisa and others at LA V2, you will see they are the real deal, so give and support.

Perhaps no one noticed, but at the same time, on the same day, Crocker Park was having a dressed up dog parade, sponsored by St Edward's High School, and 100% of the money went to an animal shelter. HOWEVER, much like the attempt to take the Beck Center( non-profit with paid staff) to make Crocker Park more cozy and to induce people to move their, it was a high level of come here see us, underwritten at the highest levels by Stark, who owns Crocker Park, and wants all Lakewoodites to shop there and live there.

As the LO has said and pointed out every years since being formed, Lakewood is under attack from people outside wanting our residents, businesses and brand, and from the inside from people that desperately want us to become Crocker Park err stay competitive.

It would have been great to see Spooky Pooch stay in Rhonda's hands. But the truth is, before the first one got off the ground she needed help with police, location, website, management, accounting, etc. Which is why she turned to the LO and LakewoodAlive V1 for help.

In closing, another question that has been asked of the Lakewood Observer are we a non-profit? NO, we never have been, and we have never claimed to be. Instead we are a for profit, paying taxes, that does not make a profit. In the state of Ohio that means anyone who we ask to give us more than 7 hours a week in volunteer time gets paid or cut off at the 7 hour mark. Twice people have reported us to the State trying to shut us down, both times we were audited and found to be well within their guidelines. There would be very little benefit in having the LO non-profit, as value for what you get out of a donation has to be declared. So advertisers would get ZERO benefit. It would also put us direct competition with every non-profit in town for very scarce dollars. Our sister publication the Heights Observer, licensed by and run by the non-profit CDC Future Heights was a non-profit, but the extra rules and accounting hindered them and they became a for profit, which generates funding for their staff and Future Heights. FWIW I have always been willing to strike the same deal with LakewoodAlive Version1 and Version 2, as long as they keep the format, and the Deck the same.
.