WOSU News » charity

Ohio Charity Changes Lives With Customized Products

WOSU News Staff — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:21:26 +0000

There’s a charity in southwest Ohio that works to help the disabled by customizing the devices and equipment they use most.

From public radio station WNKU, Sherry Lawson reports on the work by volunteers at May We Help.

Hundreds Of Credit Card Numbers Stolen From “ReStore”

The Associated Press — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:55:13 +0000

Police say hackers with an international reach have stolen hundreds of credit card numbers from a Delaware store operated by the charity Habitat for Humanity.

Police say investigators found information from the charity’s ReStore credit card processing system was being transmitted to a computer server in Poland.

Police say area residents’ stolen credit card numbers have been used on the East Coast, in California and in South America in recent weeks.

Ohio’s Charitable Foundations Asked to Do More With Less

Bill Cohen — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

With Ohio’s economy crumbling, charities and non-profit groups are being asked to do more than ever. But, ironically, they may have less money to do their work. That’s because some of the charities’ biggest contributors – giant charitable foundations- are also feeling a financial pinch. There are 3100 charitable foundations across Ohio. George Espy is President of their trade organization – the Ohio Grantmakers Forum. He talked with Ohio Public Radio’s Bill Cohen.

Espy says the charitable foundations will try to weather the financial storm by cutting their administrative expenses and by encouraging the non-profit groups they serve to collaborate more.

Charity: Volunteer embezzled $250,000

Sabrina Hersi-Issa — Wed, 10 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Chairwoman of the Down Syndrome Association Jennifer Truby says the fired treasurer has been involved with the charity for more than a decade. Truby says the treasurer was a dream volunteer– she earned a Volunteer of the Year Award , oversaw the organization’s finances and “bent over backwards” to help the charity.

But last Thursday, charity leaders say they discovered the former treasurer had stolen up to $250,000 from the association’s savings account. Associate board member Joe Caligiuri says he became suspicious when she refused to turn over a check for $325,000 she was supposed to invest.

“I was met with much avoidance. And then eventually I was able to make telephone contact with her at which time I was met with much resistance” Caligiuri explained.

Caligiuri says, once she admitted to the theft, the charity took action.

“I made immediate contact with the Columbus Police Department in the Economic Crime Unit and spoke to a detective. This detective… instructed me to contact Chase Bank Head of Security,” Caligiuri said.

WOSU is not reporting the treasurer’s name because she does not face criminal charges or civil court action.

The charity suspects the theft took place over several years. The stolen funds were meant to be used to support the association and its clients. A former IRS criminal investigator is working with the charity to recover the funds. Attorney for the charity, Mark Landis, said the Down Syndrome Association is taking steps to prevent future thefts.

“We want the money back. We want to make sure that this never happens again.”