Saturday, June 23, 2012

What About the Missing? Organizations NEED Donations




by Cynthia Caron

First let me say, I am so very sorry for the way the Karen Klein, the 68 year old woman on the bus, who was treated horribly by the bratty bullying teens with terrible words hurled at the woman. Nobody deserves to be treated that way and those that did the bullying should need to have to make amends by community service, assisting those who cannot help themselves is a good thought, supervised of course.

But I must add...am I right to feel this way? $400,000 raised by caring people from around the world? I want nothing more than to see Karen Klein be able to use that money to fund her living expenses so that she doesn't have to work if she chooses not to. Also to use it towards enjoying precious times with her 8 grandchildren without having to worry how to come up with extra money for each of their birthdays.

However, with that said, I cannot help feeling very sad. Maybe even a bit jealous? It is so hard to raise funds for our 501c3 nonprofit in which we assist law enforcement and families of missing loved ones. Not just "missing" as in, "where is Uncle Joe that moved to Arizona years ago?" and not "I wonder where my high school friend went? I've not heard from him/her in years?" Those are not missing loved ones. Missing loved ones are somebody's child, no matter the age, that disappeared off the face of the earth in the middle of a normal life. One who did not show up to work and was not home for a very important family event. One who would NEVER go missing on their own. One who has children at home wondering where their mommy or daddy is and family not knowing how to explain except to say "We are looking, honey." Why can't their pain and the awful roller coaster ride of not knowing if their child is alive or dead not touch the hearts of the same people who donated to Karen Klein?

I know fundraising is very difficult, trust me…we do it all of the time…yet, our nonprofit existed of 85% of donations by myself out of my own personal funds and those of a few staff members. I know other nonprofits helping families of missing and doing search and rescue experience the very same situation. Our nonprofit, for example, asks for very little. Perhaps a $5.00 donation. If 100 people donated $5.00 that would be $500 and would cover the costs of printing posters for missing loved ones for four families. A far cry from what we really need but every penny helps. We are all 100% volunteers, as are most nonprofits who do not have government grants. We do not draw salaries and our funds are running short. We are doing all possible to reach out and get the public to please take notice of our work, of the pain our families are enduring and of the many more things we want to do for them…and are struggling due to funding. Bank accounts that hold less than $600.

As stated, this is not only for LostNMissing Inc, this is also a problem our families of missing are enduring, as well. They depend on us for services, yet at the same time many are trying to raise funds for searches to bring their children's bodies home. Now that is sad. , Thus far this year we've only raised $1,256 for our organization from public donations. Our families raise an average of $5,000 (if they are lucky) and yet....over $400,000 has gone towards helping this woman who had to endure kids disrespecting her in the most nasty way. WHY do people not care to donate to help find missing loved ones, too? Am I wrong for feeling this way?

It is frustrating. Over 2000 loved ones go missing EVERY DAY. Families are having to halt searches when they have very good leads, media coverage only goes so far...billboards are needed for awareness and the cost is unbelievable! Families need to increase or add rewards. We are of the firm believe that EVERYONE missing...someone holds the answers. We need people to be more accountable to helping these families...people need to have a conscience who have information that can help these families. I believe the reason donations are not coming in is because the general public has no idea what it is like to lose a missing loved one. It doesn't touch their hearts" in the way that they want to help because they've never experienced it" or they feel it is "well covered" or that it happens "so rarely" that it is not truly a cause to support. How wrong they are. Every missing person is someone's missing child.

The networks have reality shows from "evicting people from their apartments" to "chasing hogs in the wild" and they need to really re-focus and start doing some reality shows of what it is like to be a parent of a missing child. Perhaps walk in the shoes of families and the roller coaster ride of pain to see what they are going through. Now that is reality. I hope producers out there start thinking of helping families of missing instead of sensationalizing people who eat drywall and rocks. And I hope those who have the means to donate will consider donating towards any and all organizations that are struggling, without government grants, and who are all 100% volunteers trying to help these families of missing.

Here are just a few nonprofit organizations that are in need of funding:

www.lostnmissing.com LostNMissing Inc.
www.lrcf.org Laura Recovery Center
www.blackandmissinginc.com Black & Missing Foundation
www.ncmissingpersons.org Cue Center
www.projectjason.org Project Jason
www.kristenfoundation.org Kristen Foundation
http://heidisearchcenter.com Heidi Search Center

Won't you take a moment today and donate whatever you can afford? Even if only $5.00. Every bit helps.

Cynthia Caron
President/Founder
LostNMissing, Inc.
PH: 603.548.6548
www.lostnmissing.



   

9 comments:

  1. Cynthia! When I saw this plastered all over the news yesterday, I couldn't agree with you more! I was thinking the same exact thoughts! Although I have empathy for anyone who is bullied, what about the thousands who go missing with very little publicity!

    We need expert media consultants, like Ann Baldwin who was on my radio show, Shattered Lives" last week to connect the stories with the right people to get the publicity so badly needed! Please go to the podcast: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/insidelenz/2012/06/16/shattered-lives
    Thanks!

    Donna

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    1. Thank you Donna! You do great work and I thank you for thinking of all who are in need ... I've always been a firm believer and will believe this until my last breath....Help Those Who Cannot Help Themselves. It is such powerful words and covers every aspect in life from animal abuse, poverty, missing loved ones, those with disabilities, and the list could go on forever. Help those who cannot help themselves.

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  2. I was also. I try to get the word out on this, but get little response. Sad

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  3. I agree with Cynthia for iam the father of a missing child my name is Elvis McKee and LostNMissing and other groups like klasskids have help so much there are many more we need groups like these to get posters made and searches done so please as a father of a missing child iam asking that everyone to please give to help these groups they are a nonprofit and do a lot to help the family of the missing so please help them so they can help get the word out and searches done help them to help us bring our loved ones home. please donate to these groups please help thanks from Elvis & Windy McKee

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  4. ‎Janice Smolinski ...you summed it up in a few words what took me paragraphs to write! "It doesn't take a village, it takes a nation to help find missing loved ones."

    It's like how much more do we have to hear about Jerry Sandusky now that we know he is guilty and in jail? Why keep using air time to rehash "old news?" Missing families are not living old news...it is fresh daily and every moment of their waking life.

    Do people not realize that every time family go out their door that the backs of heads are forever looked at thinking it "could be their missing loved one?" No matter what they do...it never goes away...it is never old news...it is always fresh, daily, and constant. I know I threw in a couple of topics in my article...I don't profess to be an author or writer...but I write from my heart..in what I am thinking....and I think that the general population needs to START realizing that ANY ONE in their life could go missing at any moment.

    This is not a world "exempt" to anyone. There are dire needs that families MUST have that police agencies do not provide and families are in grief and many times cannot afford....this is why it is important that people start making contributions to ALL , not just mine, ALL organizations that help families spread awareness and search for their family member missing....and loved. No matter the age or circumstance...it is someone's child!!!!

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  5. Elvis and Windy, for those not aware....the struggle you make daily in writing to every news agency for your missing daughter, Shanna Peoples. Only 20 years old and is developmentally challenged. Shanna cannot read, cannot write, and is child-like at about the age of 12-14. The public DOES need to know about all the letters we've written, you've written...the Producers we've called to help spread awareness and yet....the only show that cared to help was the Jane Velez Mitchell Show. I thank Jane and her team. Where are the others? Shanna is six feet tall and would not be hard to spot....but how is someone to spot her if they don't know she is missing? If she was talked into going with someone and ended up in Chicago or Des Moine...how will anyone know? The media needs to start doing more. Digital Billboard companies needs to start helping more on a consistent basis and not just for missing children.... They have to realize no matter who is missing...........they are someone's child.

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  6. I AGREE WITH YOU CYNTHIA.MY NAME IS WINDY MCKEE SHAANA PEOPLES IS MY DAUGHTER ITS A SHAME THAT THE WOMEN ON THE BUS SHOULDNT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT. BUT WHERE IS THE HELP WITH THE MISSING PEOPLE IT SEEMS LIKE NOBODY CARES.WE STRUGGLE DAILY WE CRY EVERY DAY.WE HAVE NO MONEY BUT WE STILL HAVE HOPE THAT SHANNNA WILL BE FOUND ALIVE.

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  7. I can't help but be discouraged at the donations that went to the bullied woman. The "abuse" she endured was not right, fair or called for and yes the individuals should be held accountable for their words/actions. However, until someone goes through what the families of Lost Loved Ones no matter if child or adult, No One Knows The Pain & Suffering and overall emotional/mental "abuse" they go through day after day hoping, wishing and praying their loved one is found alive and brought home. Some have been found alive and some not and many still not found and no answers why. I have a close friend that has lost her mother, simply gone and yet to be found. I've taken time, effort, money, posters, phone calls, internet time and what have you, not for a medal or some front page glory, but for the simple heartfelt feelings and sadness I hold for my friend, her family, her lost mother and for those in the same or even worse situation. Money or other types of "donating" truly needs to go where it is truly needed, to those that have no means or direction to find their missing/lost, alive or dead "Loved Ones". I agree with Cindy and all who agree with her <3 God Bless <3

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  8. On the early morning show they asked Karen Klein what she will do with the money. She indicated "spend and invest." Her daughter spoke up and said donate to charity. Karen Klein laughed and said "yes, charity" as she pointed repeatedly to her daughter as if to say she is the "charity" she'll be supporting. Not a single word mentioned about donating money to her local school to set up an anti-bullying program. I agree that I think the people who donated should look for more worthy causes as Cynthia wrote. There is so much suffering in this world that people should have been more wise and the person who set up the donation fund should have had stipulations that money goes toward the school for educating students about bullying and set a portion for her vacation.

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