Red Cross responds to '60 Minutes' reports
by Lenny Roberts

The CBS telecast of "60 Minutes" last Sunday night may be just not what the doctor ordered.
The American Red Cross was slammed by senior reporter Mike Wallace, who questioned the spending habits of the nation's leading help organization based on reports that many wildfire victims in San Diego County received little or no help from their local chapter, and much of the millions of dollars people thought they were giving to the Sept. 11 disaster victims have not yet and may never reach the surviving families.
"It's unfortunate that the America Red Cross has made a couple of major mistakes over the course of the last 12 years, but it's more unfortunate that '60 Minutes' chose to focus on three problems instead of hundreds of thousands of disaster responses that we have responded to," said Jason Smith, chief operating officer of the American Red Cross of Ventura County.
According to Smith, the A.R.C. typically responds to 67,000 calls each year - only 40 to 60 of which occur in Ventura County, despite the county being ranked 75th out of the top 1,000 chapters in the United States.
"The overwhelming majority of victims we serve are incredibly grateful for the service we provide," Smith said.
Smith said it's too early to use the word 'improprieties' when describing the alleged questionable activities of Red Cross spending procedures. "I wouldn't use that term,; it's too soon," Smith said, adding that "disaster relief is incredibly difficult business of trying to bring order to chaos, and occasionally, we make mistakes."
Dodie Rotherham, the head of the San Diego chapter who refused to comment on "60 Minutes," reportedly earned $309,000 in salary and bonuses last year.
"That salary plus bonuses is out of line with typical Red Cross practices," Smith said. "While local salaries are private matters, I can assure Ventura County residents that that salary structure within Ventura County is not even on the same scale."
The Ventura County chapter operates on income of $1.3 million a year. For the fiscal 2002, which ends June 30, $155,000 has been received from the United Way, which also has had its operating procedures questioned in recent years. The balance of donations come from private and corporate contributions, grant finding and cost recovery for courses taught in First Aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Although Smith acknowledged the active support of the United Way as most appreciated, he noted that over the span of the last 10 to 15 years, The American Red Cross of Ventura County's funding by the United Way has plummeted from 80 percent to the current 15 percent of its operating budget.
There is no set amount of funding allocated by the Ventura County chapter for each community, but the organization strives to guarantee volunteer response teams throughout the county whenever and wherever the occur,
Smith stated.
"One of the largest disaster relief operations of the year was the Pierpont Cottage fire on Thacher Road. Ensuring effective service in the Ojai Valley is going to remain a major priority of the American Red Cross of Ventura County."
Five years ago, a disclaimer was added to all Red Cross news releases and advertising, informing the public that contributions made following a disaster may be used to aid victims of other disasters. The truth in advertising was mandated by the governing board of the American Red Cross. Smith said, however, "It's important to note that if a donor chooses to reserve a donation for a particular relief operation, we will always honor that restriction."
The county's chapter is audited by the national board each summer at the start of a new fiscal year. In addition, as one of the nation's top 100 chapters by population served, an external audit is submitted quarterly, reflecting the previous fiscal year.
Smith, who took command of the Ventura County chapter in May 2001, served as director of public relations for the San Francisco Bay Area chapter. He said he is not anticipating a shortfall for this fiscal year, but is concerned about the donation level over the next several months.
"I see this as an important time to educate our community about the scope of services that are provided right here at home, and through that education, we trust that the community will still continue to support our work," he said.
"The best way for us to limit the national impact of a negative story is to remain focused on the quality of service right here at home. I'm almost proud to say the American Red Cross is much better at helping people than it is at defending itself in the press."
Smith welcomes community response, and may be reached at 339-2234, Ext. 238 during normal business hours.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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