The 10th year anniversary of the Students & Scientists program sponsored by the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition was a wonderful celebration of the determined work and vision of the organization’s members, the strength of its leadership with Laura Weinberg and Lisa Levine at the helm, and the 30 bright, enthusiastic students who have made the most of the opportunity to do real work in cutting edge research labs….and who have made their sponsors very proud.
The emphasis of the evening was on hearing the students’ stories of their experiences and what they’re doing now. Time after time we heard, “This experience changed my life.” Sometimes, at such events there is pressure to donate money to support the organization. This was not the case at this event.
But that does not mean that the GNBCC is awash in funds; it is expensive to sponsor these internships and to provide the other services that the coalition offers. They simply didn’t want to turn a genuine celebration of the students into a ploy for fundraising.
Scam organizations, though, don’t have such principles.
Just last week, I received a rather aggressive telemarketing call from the Breast Cancer Society. I inquired where they were based and learned that they are located in Phoenix, Ariz. “Just give us twenty dollars,” the paid caller implored.
Charity Watch, an independent charity evaluator, gives the Breast Cancer Society a grade of F.
Local ABC news reporters in Phoenix have investigated the organization and say that only 10 percent of the money they take in actually goes toward anything vaguely charitable. Basically, if you provide a credit card or debit card number to a telemarketer, you are funding the fundraiser, not a charity.
And so, if you are looking for a worthwhile organization to support and want your charitable dollars to be used wisely and ethically, the GNBCC is very worthy of your support.
Visit their website at https://greatneckbcc.org and learn more about all their excellent programs. Their address is P.O. Box 231190, Great Neck, NY 11023.
Carol Frank
Great Neck
