info-aids@apple.com (INFO-AIDS MAILER) (08/22/89)
>From the San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, August 21, 1989
Herb Caen's Column
[Permission for Non-Commmercial Distribution granted by Carol Vernier, Herb
Caen's Assistant, San Francisco Chronicle to the moderators of sci.med.aids]
It was right there under "Business Opportunities" in the
classifieds: "AIDS Foundation for Children. One-person
business. Average net $5,600/mo. Price only $6,500.
713-939-7632." Say, $67,200 net a year isn't too shabby, and for
a good cause, too.
So I put my overworked aide, Carole Vernier, on the trail.
She called that number and got one Ed Scott, who works for
something called Fund Raising Systems of America. Fund-raising
"systems"? Of course it had to be in Houston and it was.
Herewith her report:
"For an investment of $6,500, you are sent 200 'Spiral
Wells'--coin collection devices like the ones you see for Jerry's
Kids and so on in the stores. Each well holds $40 and is to be
placed by you in a 'high profile' store. When all 200 are
filled, you have about $8000. Of that, you're required to
give back $2.50 per well ($500 total) to the AIDS Foundation for
Children. You keep the rest.
"They figure an average of $7.14 per well a week in most
locations, so it would take five-six weeks to get the $40 per
well, but you'd be ahead $7,500. Then you empty them and start
over. Plus, the $500 you give to the AIDS group is
tax-deductible!"
There you have it folks. For an investment of $6,500, you
raise $6,000 a year for Children With AIDS and you make 10 times
that much. Wishing and "wishing wells" will make it so. The
honorary chairman of the organization is good ol' Pat (White
Shoes) Boone. Maybe he can tell you how to find 200 places that
will take your "wishing wells." Who'd turn down a sick kid?
--------
Just thought I would share this.
Ken
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Coordinator: kdavis@lamc (Ken Davis)info-aids@apple.com (INFO-AIDS MAILER) (08/24/89)
[followup on previous posting)
Quoted from the San Francisco Chronicle, Wednesday August 12,
1989. Herb Caen's Column:
[Permission for Non-Commmercial Distribution granted by Carol Vernier, Herb
Caen's Assistant, San Francisco Chronicle granted to moderators of
sci.med.aids]
FIRST PERSON singular, cont'd: In Monday's piece, I wrote
about the classified ad, under "Business Opportunities," that had
the sweet smell of scam: "AIDS Foundation for Children.
One-person business. Average net $5,600/mo. Price only $6,500."
This turned out to be a fund-raising scheme out of Houston
involviing coin collection devices called "spiral wells" to be
placed in 200 "high profile" stores, with only 10 percent going
to the Foundation. The literature made it appear that AIDS
Foundation for Children's honorary nat'l chairman is Pat Boone.
Here's Pat to say "No way!" in his way:
"I have nothing to do with Ed Scott and his AIDS Foundation
for Children fund-raising ripoff...I AM honorary chairman of the
National AIDS Prevention Institute, whose purpose is to gather
and make available lifesaving information as quickly as possible.
Apparently the 'spiral well people' are fraudulently using my
name and my lawyers and swiftly addressing that. You were ritht
to expose this lousy dodge."
--
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Coordinator: kdavis@lamc (Ken Davis)