Wounded Warrior Project Rejects Funds from Local Church

[sfc_darrel]

Wounded Warrior Project Rejects Funds from Local Church

By GOPUSA Staff February 2, 2013 7:13 am




Here's a story that will leave you scratching your head. A Christian church and affiliated school in Florida held a fundraising drive to help the Wounded Warrior Project. Children in the school were excited about the task, but later were crushed when the funds were turned down, because the organization is "religious in nature."

As reported by Todd Starnes at Fox Radio, the pastor of Liberty Baptist Church and Academy, Wallace Cooley, said that "they had already paid a $100 registration fee to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project and were about to launch the campaign when they received an email from the organization."

The church had planned on taking up a special offering on the last Sunday in February and students were collecting money from family and friends.

“We must decline the opportunity to be the beneficiary of your event due to our fundraising event criteria, which doesn’t allow community events to be religious in nature,” read an email from the WWP community events team. “Please note your registration fee will be refunded within the next 7-10 business days.”

WWP said as a nonpartisan organization they cannot accept event fundraising from companies “in which the product or message is religious in nature.”

Pastor Cooley said they were so shocked that the school secretary called Wounded Warrior to make sure there hadn’t been a mistake. He said a WWP representative assured her that “religious” was indeed on their banned list.

WPTV News Channel 5 reports that the school and parents are hoping "Wounded Warrior Project has a change of heart."

Katherine Johnson, the school's principal commented on the incident and said, " those men who are trying to fight for our freedom, now it feels like our freedoms are being taken away and we want them to realize the seriousness of what they are doing."

Barbie, the mother of Madision said, they sit there in school and say the pledge of allegiance and they sing God bless America and we teach them about freedom but, then what kind of freedom is it if we can't turn around and give to those who take their life and get injured."

According to the news story, Pastor Cooley "told NewsChannel Five that a representative from WWP called him.The representative apologized and said he would be meeting with other administrators from the organization to talk about this incident."

How does being "nonpartisan" have ANYTHING to do with accepting funds from a church group? Most nonprofits that get in trouble with the IRS do so because of what they DO with the funds... not where they come from. The Wounded Warrior Project does great work for out troops. But the organization and the rules governing nonprofit activities need a little common sense.

http://www.gopusa.com/freshink/2013/.../?subscriber=1

[reconeil]

As an American Veteran and supporter of that fine Wounded Warriors org., I believe that the very ending words of the article (re: "Need a little common sense") sez-it-all and hit the nail right on the head.

After all, what's wrong with ANY religions or even God himself helping ANY Wounded Warriors???

Let's all think apolitically and/or sensibly here, and not asininely political (the current norm).

Neil

[STYCK]

If they made a cash donation with no mention of where or who it came from...i.e
"Here's XXXXX $$$ for the Wounded Warrior Project..."wouldn't really need to say who or where it came from...or how the $$ was aquired...
Sorta like being on the freeway n some one giving a stranded motorist $$$ for gas money and not asking for a payback...THAT I have done myself...