Salvation Army refuses Lotto winner's $100,000 donation

Naples News ^ | 12/28/02 | Ray Parker

[Fighting Irish]

Lottery winner David Rush was irked Friday to find out local Salvation Army officials rejected his $100,000 donation.

The religious charity, popularly known for its bell ringers outside shopping malls during the holidays, preaches against gambling.

"The money that Mr. Rush received was via the lottery: We preach against gambling," said spokeswoman Maribeth Shanahan, who spoke on behalf of Cleo Damon, who heads the Collier County chapter and decided not to accept the donation. "To accept it would be to talk out both sides of our mouth."

Rush, a financial adviser, doesn't see lottery money as gambling. In his view, the money reaped from Wall Street investments involves a risk-gain factor, not unlike a lottery ticket.

"Everybody has a right to be sanctimonious if they want to be," Rush said. "I respect the Salvation Army's decision. I do not agree with it, but that is their prerogative."

Instead, he will donate the money to other groups with similar missions.

The Marco Island resident donated to charities such as the Salvation Army prior to his windfall last week, which amounted to a 25 percent share of the $100 million lottery jackpot.

The 71-year-old took a lump sum payment of $14.2 million.

Earlier this week at a Rotary Club of Marco Island luncheon, he handed out checks for $100,000 to the Salvation Army, $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Collier County, and $50,000 to the Rotary Club.

Jerry Brunette, the Rotary Club's Salvation Army liaison, accepted the check, not knowing there would be a problem.

Even so, Brunette said he understands why the Salvation Army rejected the money.

"If everyone acted as strongly on their principles, we wouldn't need a Salvation Army" to help the poor and needy, Brunette said.

In addition to those three groups, Rush said he made contributions to his other favorite charities, including two churches.

Shanahan, the local Salvation Army director of community relations and development, stressed the group could have used the money.

Over the holidays, from Nov. 18 until Christmas Eve, local Salvation Army bell ringers collected more than $105,000, Shanahan said.

There's not a final figure on the total donations collected by the group, which, she said, helped more than 6,000 people with food, toys or clothing during the holiday season.

[mdmathis6]

I agree that it was too public a donation for the man to have made..but they exacerbated the publicity by refusing it publically and commenting on it publically. Christ said that the children"of this world were often wiser than the children of Light". The SA's public mission is way beyond the sin's of gambling, they are dealing more with drug addicts and alcoholics,and homeless mentally ill patients abandoned by their families. Gambling is one of the least of their issues they are having to minister to that they should be making a public spectacle of! Ironically, they could have accepted the money to fund their anti-gambling ministries, and invited the man to join!

[Mercat]

I'm trying to figure out how to donate all my AmEx points to the Salvation Army. One of the few principalled orgs out there.

[M Kehoe]

I'm having fun this morning.

5.56mm

[xlib]

The SA's public mission is way beyond the sin's of gambling, they are dealing more with drug addicts and alcoholics,and homeless mentally ill patients abandoned by their families.

Lots of people who've ruined their lives through gambling addictions end up on SA's doorstep. I doubt they would knowingly accept donations from anyone who made windfall profits from drugs or alcohol either. They're not making a public spectacle, they're just being consistent.

[KneelBeforeZod]

PRO (they shoulda took the money): But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel

CON: And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

ETC (bible "lotteries"): And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat
::And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions

[2timothy3.16]

Rush, a financial adviser, doesn't see lottery money as gambling.

And ucc left wing liberal preachers don't see abortion as murder.

Both are wrong. The lottery is gambling and abortion is always first degree premeditated murder.

[AmericaUnited]

There is no Bible injunction against gambling,

There sure is, it falls under "Thou shalt not covet".

I'll bet you a $1 I'm right on this one.

[Ff--150]

ping

[HiTech RedNeck]

"Thou shalt not covet" doesn't prohibit, say, getting a college education in order to increase one's chances of earning more money. Looking for income is not the sin. The commandment is talking about the kind of attitude that raises earthly goods up on a pedestal, and envies if it can't get them -- keeping up with the Joneses.

[AppyPappy]

Lotteries aren't gambling. Gambling implies there could be winning. Lotteries are a tax. The chance of winning the lottery are less than the chances of the government screwing up and allowing you to keep some of your own money.

[Fighting Irish]

I disagree on your take on the lottery....however you're right on the money concerning abortion!

[mdmathis6]

see post 25...or how about when the disciples were divided as to who would replace Judas...they "cast lots" as to who it would be....Seems gambling has a place in history. The sailors on Jonah's ship "cast lots" in trying to figure out why they were beset by such a storm...and the lot fell to Jonah.

Yes, thou gamblest too much, thou hast problems and behold a ministry appeareth...thou eateth to much and behold...a ministry appeareth....You eateth too little and vomiteth up what little you hath and behold a ministry appeareth ....Thou worketh too much and forgetteth thy wife and child...behold a ministry appeareth to help and admonish thee when thou goest out of the way....Have thee a sexual orientation issue...behold a ministry appeareth ..thou drinketh of the evil rum too much...behold a ministry appeareth .....

Do you get my point...we can do the bad things and have it be sin or we can be out of balance in what we consider to be productive things as well. We can too involved in our families or not involved enough. We can be non-productive at work or too focused on the bottom line. Anything bad I do is sin..or any good thing I do not of faith is a sin. Behaving not of faith is sin and knowing to do good and not doing it is the sin most Christians are most guilty of. The prestige of the SA might have been questioned in some eyes if they had taken EVIL GAMBLING MONEY...but what of their duty to the doner him-self...was he in fact...helped?

[AppyPappy]

Nope. Gambling became taboo in the Christian church because the Roman soldiers gambled for Jesus' clothes.

[HiTech RedNeck]

SA won't accept donations from liquor businesses either, even though there is no way of knowing if the businesses' customers used the alcohol for evil purposes. It's their prerogative. If the offer was made privately then SA should have refused privately and shame on them if they didn't. But I get the sense that Rush is the one that made it public.

[sneakypete]

I guess it doesn't hurt to cut off your nose to spite your face,when it ain't your nose being cut off.

[mdmathis6]

Show me the verse that says "thou shalt not gamble". I dare say that steps of faith are risks, can be cosidered a gamble as they take us from what is familiar to what is not. We have the assurances that God is with us as we grope for him in faith...but it always remains one fateful step off after another...until we see him face to face!

[glory]

Well, he could always anonymously dump a couple hundred bucks in each bell ringers bucket if he wanted to next year. Anonymously is, imo, the most selfless way to donate anyhow taxes be damned.

[glory]

Oh, I agree with you. They will definitely be getting a check next year from us, but if this man really wanted to help still, he could always do so anonymously in the buckets next year.

[kipj]

Lottery winner David Rush was irked Friday to find out local Salvation Army officials rejected his $100,000 donation.

NOTE: This David Rush is not the gentleman from West Virginia who just won the Power Ball Lotto for $345 million.