Let the facts speak for themselves

I inquired about donating to the childhood anxiety network but questioned some irregularities. Each time I posted facts they did not want to hear I was stonewalled and they were eliminated. I copied the original postings and would like to share them with others that should be aware certain facts.
Posts as follows:
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 10:14 pm Post subject: Donating to the Childhood Anxiety Network ?

Our family was considering donating to the Childhood Anxiety Network. Our family attorney and accountant advised us to request a copy of the financial public records of the non-profit. This is, as we were advised, a good way to get a feel for the organization and how finances are distributed.
We have checked the website and did not see anything posted. Can anyone guide us as to where and when these are posted or made available to the general public as law provides.
We have made donations to other non-profit organizations over the years and want to be sure donations made are used for the purpose intended.
We have also noted the close association between the non-profit organization and the for-profit Center. Doesn’t this create an ethical situation?
We have emailed on numerous occasions, but received no response. Hence, posting it on the forum thought we might receive a reply as well as enlightening others to receive the information that should be made available as public record.
Keep up the good work.
Diane
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 12:29 pm

Hello Diane,
You can find financial information about our organization on Guidestar.org or by writing to request a written copy. We have recieved no e-mails or other correspondence from you that I am aware of. I will nonetheless be happy to answer your question here and perhaps this will clear up questions for others as well.

When you mention the relationship between the nonprofit and for-profit, I assume that you mean the Childhood Anxiety Network (nonprofit) and the SM Anxiety Research and Treatment Center (for profit). If this is what you are referring to, I will try to clarify.

These are two separate and distinct entities. The only relationship is that Dr. Elisa Shipon Blum is the President and Director of the SMART Center, and she is also the Executive Medical Director and a board member of CAN. Both of her positions with CAN are unpaid, and she recieves no salary or other compensation for her time with CAN. She simply serves as a medical advisor and gives her time to help the organization. This is
a very common practice, and it simply allows CAN to have advice on the subject matter of selective mutism from an expert in the field.

Any transactions that occur between the two organizations for activities such as conferences, are being set up in accordance with the IRS recommended policies regarding potential conflict of interest. This is above and beyond what the law requires but everyone involved wants to adhere to strict ethics in these matters.

I hope that this answers your questions.

Christine Stanley
Executive Director, SMG~CAN
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:59 pm Post subject: Donating to the Childhood Anxiety Network ?

Christine Stanley,
Thank you for your informative response. My intranet experience leaves a lot to be desired (hope I put this in the right place.) So my husband will follow up on your reply and do the research as you suggested.
Our daughter might have SM and we are very interested in getting help. Thanks for your guidence.
Diane

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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:26 pm Post subject: Results of Donating to the Childhood Anxiety Network ?

Christine Stanley,
My husband did some research on the intranet. We were a little disappointed by the misdirection. The financial information about our organization on Guidestar.org was dated 2002 probably should be updated to include the last few years. For 2002:
Revenue:$128,062;Expenses:$100,689;Assets:$24,503
He also did a corporation search on Childhood Anxiety Network Inc and noted that Dr. Elisa Shipon Blum is not only the registered agent but the CEO of the organization. (See Below)
Registered Agent
Name & Address
SHIPON BLUM, ELISA
3140 S. OCEAN BLVD.
PALM BEACH FL 33480
EIN: 65-0946164
SHIPON-BLUM, ELISA B , CEO
1130 HERKNESS DRIVE
MEADOWBROOK PA 19046

Where does this Elisa Shipon-Blum actually live?

An excerpt from Exemption Requirements from the IRS:
The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, such as the creator or the creator's family, shareholders of the organization, other designated individuals, or persons controlled directly or indirectly by such private interests. No part of the net earnings of an IRC Section 501(c)(3) organization may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. A private shareholder or individual is a person having a personal and private interest in the activities of the organization. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any managers agreeing to
the transaction.

It appears the website and the forum continually promotes the for-profit SM Center.

When will the organization make the most recent financial reports available to the general public as prescribed by law? We are not trying to difficult but only wish to make an informed decision as I am sure others supporting and wanting to support your non-profit would like to do.
Thanks so much for putting up with my persistence.
Diane

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C. Stanley
We were dismayed to see you deleted my last entry(above entry) posted on your?OPEN? Forum. It leads one to believe that you have something to hide when presented with the facts within our entry.
Our interest in your organization was genuine. We have donated to many charities in the past and on a few occasions found out that the distribution of funds was questionable. This is our reasoning for researching the charity before committing a donation to it.
I will post the information again and see if you will reply to it or just delete it again.
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Diane,
I am not certain if that is your correct name since you have now posted some accusatory and inappropriate messages under several different usernames. Please see our policy concerning inappropriate messages on our organization's forum:
I have deleted these posts but our organization is happy to comply with all regulations concerning our financial records. You may write to our Board Secretary, Laurie Gorski, to request copies of our most recent 990.
Her address is:
199 Pickerel Lake Rd
Colchester CT 06415

Please include a self addressed, stamped envelope for the return mail.

Diane, if you have further questions you may e-mail me . There is no attempt at hiding information, as you have tried to suggest. You may ask appropriate questions, however you may not post messages containing false accusations, as these will be deleted. This is an open forum that SMG~CAN provides as a free service for those who wish to learn and share information about selective mutism. We are certainly not obligated to allow anyone to use it to slander our organization's reputation.

Christine Stanley
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C. Stanley
Read your policy concerning inappropriate messages on our organization's forum:Solicitation and inappropriate messages will be deleted. "Not guilty of either."

Slander is a spoken defamation.Defamation definition – an intentional false communication that injures another person’s good name or reputation. To amount to defamation, the communication must be published or spoken. *Note the word false.
Nothing posted was false you can go to government websites for the Florida corporate search information and the IRS website for the information used for out entry.

Enter: Childhood Anxiety Network Inc
http://ccfcorp.dos.state.fl.us/corpweb/ ... rinam.html

C. Stanley may I say you handled this legitimate exchange of questions very poorly.

I will be sending for a copy of the 990's for 2003 & 2004 and even include a donation as a show of good faith. If everything is in proper order our family is willing to make a substantial donation with the condition that you use it to send free books to various schools districts of our choice. Until the donation is depleted, of course.

Your reference to posting under several names. I believe I forgot to include a name on a post which shows up as guest (hardly a name).

C. Stanley
As per your instructions "You may write to our Board Secretary, Laurie Gorski, to request copies of our most recent 990.
Her address is:
199 Pickerel Lake Rd
Colchester CT 06415
Please include a self addressed, stamped envelope for the return mail. "
I did send a certified letter w/return received request, but it was never signed for or picked up by your board secretary. This was over 2 months ago so I can assume she is not doing her job or for some reason your organization is reluctant to comply.
I shall be making some IRS inquires and possibly filing a complaint with the agencies that regulate Non-profits.
I just don't understand why such reluctance to provide information that the law requires you to provide.