MADD AS HELL

Every Saturday, I walk down to the tiny, one-room Dwight Post Office, near Huntsville, Ontario, to collect my junk mail...that's about all I ever get, apart from nasty-looking envelopes stamped "Revenue Canada" and six bills in six separate envelopes from Bell Canada; having paid for a "bundle," that's what we get. Jammed into the miniscule box ("would you like me to push it out for you?" the helpful relief manager asked as I tugged and tore at the stack of mail from the other side) were the usual suspects; invaluable volumes of Canadian Tire, Zellers ,Circuit City and a dozen other fliers that go straight into the recycling bin .

But hang on! What's this? An envelope with the bold red letters, MADD Canada, clearly appealing for more money. This was just yesterday. I thought they had stopped all fund-raising until Andrew Murie, the CEO, can explain why a mere 19 cents of every dollar collected goes to the actual charity, the rest being pocketed by MADD staff and a team of telemarketers.

This is a good cause founded by broken hearts, grieving families and tireless volunteers. Now they have been deceived and insulted, as have we all, by the hubris and outrageous behaviour of a board that refuses to give any information about where the rest of the money went or even how much workers at MADD headquarters get paid. Why won't they admit the truth? Because the answer must be hugely embarrassing, and my guess is that it would reveal profligacy, largesse and that MADD has been turned into a profit- driven business, not a charity.

Experts in charity work reckon that if less that at least 60% of a dollar does not go directly to where it is needed, the organisation should be avoided because it is being ran badly and probably for the benefit of the administrators, not the needy. This makes MADD's 19% all the more grotesque and tragic. Let us hope that for once, just once, someone gets his or her just rewards for scamming the public in such a shameless way.