The Walter H. McClenon Fund, Inc.

Special Report

2 April 2010

Subject:

Arms Wide Open CDC

3013 Rainbow Drive

Decatur, GA 30034

This organization had sent a fund-raising solicitation to Bob McClenon, President of the W..H. McClenon Fund, Inc. In January 2009 he wrote to them, asking for more information so that the Fund could evaluate their eligibility for a Fund contribution. Their reply of Feb. 2, 2009

leaves plenty of doubt about their eligibility, even a year ago. In April 2010 Google shows that they have moved from Stone Mountain to Decatur, but have kept the same phone number (770-413-2241.) Their present web page provides hardly any information, not as much as the slick stuff they mailed in 2009. Their mission is “to provide the neediest members of the in-home aged, chronically ill and disabled communities with support services for the purpose of enhancing their comfort, independence and safety.”

As far as I can tell from the available literature, they mostly provide durable medical equipment (dme) items (such as wheelchairs) to those who need them. They solicit donations of such equipment from those who no longer need them, and those used items are what they furnish to their beneficiaries. (Whether the items are given or loaned is not clear in their literature.) They don’t mention Medicare, which also furnishes dme to its patients. In 2008 their total revenues were $445,000,of which $307.000 was in-kind donation of dme. Their expenses totaled $406,000, of which $289,000 was providing dme to individuals. Their work is mostly done by volunteers; in 2008 the total for salaries was $22,000.The Internal Revenue Service has given them section 501 (c) (3) status.

I am not favorably impressed. Some other trustee might want to inquire currently and get some more recent information, but I don’t think they are deserving of our financial help. I’m not sure how their work relates to that of Medicare. Their “mission” other than provision of durable medical equipment is mostly consulting and advising; advice from non-professional volunteers may be worth about what the recipients pay for it. I recommend that we categorize this organization as “ineligible for contributions” [as provided in Bylaw III B 1 (a)]. For both Endowments.

Paul McClenon