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Sunday, May 15, 2016

Today's Survey Question 5-11-16

Do you think the County should pick up the tab/debt of the Salvation Army Youth Center, a non profit charity organization?

70 comments:

Anonymous said...

no

Anonymous said...

No , however , this is one of the very few organizations I believe in.
It is a Christian organization and has stepped beyond the protocol of it's normal . We , as a country must stop , even if it effects this organization . Youth centers are not an effective means of teaching youths anymore. The Civic Center is a great example , with Salisbury one of the crime infested cities in the U.S.. Marketing is a major tool in the success of any organization , did this happen ? I think not! With the downfall of Christianity expect to see more of this.
Religion with the family is the key , without this all will fail.

Anonymous said...

While the Salvation Army is a great asset to the community they are a faith or religous organization there for the county, city nor the state should be involved in supporting them. There was a time when I would have said yes but in today's world if we can't have God in school or on any Government property then the seperation of church and state needs to be absolute as the liberal crowd has demanded. You can't pick and choose as we did in the past. Put God back in school and other places he has been for decades then I would say yes!

Anonymous said...

The question is can they...Since it is a religious organization it might be a sticky situation. Why can't everyone get together and do fund raisers. Set up a youcaring account (it's just like gofundme without the fees). The county doesn't need to take on another burden.

Anonymous said...

No. Not everything in life is free. Parents need to come up with some money to help pay for the things their children want to participate in. How many of the parents who have kids playing sports at the Salvation Army actually help ring the bell at Christmas time? There should be NO available slots that they must pay people to fill while someone has a child playing sports there for free. Make it a requirement.

Anonymous said...

NO, do the people on the west side appreciate what they have there? If so, they need to step up and support it to keep it open. Do their fund raisers like any other group would do. If they like their kids being there after school and during the summer, they will do the right thing and not expect everyone else to keep it open for them.

Anonymous said...

No & to be clear: no how, no way, no, no, no!

Anonymous said...

Salisbury has enough churches to collectively fund it. I would rather see them step up to the plate for once.

Anonymous said...

No!

Anonymous said...

6:53 For once? Really? Who do you think funds the homeless shelter behind Giant? Who funds the Christian Shelter, who funds The Village of Hope? Who provides food and shelter and other necessities to the homeless men in the winter months? Who runs food pantries through out the county? Who provides recovery programs to people? I'm sure the churches are already donating to the Salvation Army. Funny you seem to want the church to fund everything but you don't want them to have any say in anything else. What do you do for the community?

Anonymous said...

No. My son played on the football team there, but soon discovered that he was not wanted because of his skin color.

Let the Black Community come up with the cash; don't ask us!

Anonymous said...

no , however , if it were muslim related , Obama would pick up the tab quickly.

Anonymous said...

NO

Anonymous said...

It is NOT county money! It is taxpayer money. We are tapped out ENOUGH! If some of the DONATORS would cut back on some of the monument building at the university they could help out the rest of the community!

Scott said...

In this case the county should stay out of it. To accept funds means the Salvation Army would have to give up it's religious liberties and control of how they want this center run. I would rather see fund raisers and community outreach for this building. They are a great organization. I would hate for them to receive any government help. The devil is always in the details!

Anonymous said...

nope. if the community wants it, let them donate enough money

Anonymous said...

Nope

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't the church step in? Wouldn't that be the Christian thing to do with all that tax free money they bring in?

Anonymous said...

I read an article that said they spend $100,000 to $150,000 per summer on programs. That seems to be an awful lot for a few baseball games and some grass cutting!.

Maybe they should take a look at that budget and try for less than $50k.

Anonymous said...

The Salvation Army has the largest endowment in history, from the Kroc family (McDonalds). I see no reason to nickel and dime the average person for support.

Anonymous said...

Yes! This is a youth club that keeps children on the playground and off the streets. The county has supported this organization in previous years. From a legality standpoint there is none as the county has donated funding to this organization in the past. I say a big YES!

Anonymous said...

Yes, but only if they are allowed to provide direction to get things back on track. The donation cant be every year forever.

Anonymous said...

Although I think they do a very good service for the community, it isn't a proper function of government (and by extension, the taxpayers) to fund it. I don't think the government should be involved in it at all.

Anonymous said...

Hell no !

Anonymous said...

If they do take it over which I have my pros and cons it should not be given to Parks and Recs to take over. I am a Wicomico County tax payer and when we went to sign my grandson up for soccer at Parks and Rec he was told you had to sign up as a team. He lives out in Mardela and there is no team out there because even though they are in the County the County offers them nothing. Parks and Rec said they could take his application and try and find him a team, they took the application and have not heard anything from them since one way or the other. It is typical in this County if you were not born and raised in the County they want nothing to do with you. I have been here 20 years and still feel like an outcast.

Anonymous said...

mismanaged and under utilized. shame such potential for that facility but never fully supported by the community!

Anonymous said...

Yes,but with the condition that the county has quarterly accounting priviledges.Less would get by them if each and every expenditure was under a microscope.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like the new West side school they want to build, use this place instead !

Anonymous said...

Without getting into taxes and money. No Joe it doesn't need to be there and never should have. When I grew up here we all went to one Salvation army we all played there went there after school and grew up there. When they built the one on Jersey rd all it did was separate the kids, all of our kids should learn and play and grow up through the same Salvation army, it worked for years that way.

Anonymous said...

Nice to know that people still care about the community as a whole. You folks are some model Americans. I do agree with one comment though, the churches in the area collect obscene amounts of money on a weekly basis so why cant they dig deep to help out a fellow christian organization. The Y, or even Chic-fil-a, I mean its all the body of the same god right? So help your own, unless they are a different kind of christian? Also i agree that parents with kids in the organization should be giving of their time and resources to make sure their kids have a wholesome place to spend time in the summer instead of in the streets. I give to salvation army through payroll deduction and i nor my kids participate in any activities there, i just give because i believe in the work they do and feel that no matter where kids are raised and whom they are raised by, they should have access to fun and educational places to go.












.

Anonymous said...

craddle to grave

Anonymous said...

Amen!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely not. Churches, like businesses, are responsible for making sound financial decisions to ensure their viability. Otherwise they should go under, if they can't find private funding.

Bailouts for banks and large corporations are wrong, and church organizations too.

The community that utilizes the facility should hold fundraisers if they care that much.

Anonymous said...

You obviously don't have children that have played in the last 20 years. You pay to play buddy.

Anonymous said...

yes

Anonymous said...

They are not good stewards of the public's money. Have you ever wondered why with their great facilities they never participated in housing the homeless during the worst of winter? They are VERY poorly managed and the Board has no real power.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me this has promoted separation of races rather than learning to get along. Often times "liberal" ideas have the opposite effect from what is desired.

Anonymous said...

Yes. They have to. They signed the contract. Good luck getting out of that.

Anonymous said...

The SA never monitored their "handouts". People arrived in Cadillac Escalades and lots of gold bling, but needed food and toys for their kids. Seems to me some other types of "ministry" should have been offered rather than "free stuff".

Anonymous said...

The city's residential landlords could help in a big way.

99% of the Youth Center's users live in their rental housing, which is a $120,000,000 a year business, just within city limits.

A sizable chunk of the Center's annual operating needs could be met by the members of the Salisbury Area Property Owners Association (SAPOA), many of whom are multi-millionaires. If the Association doesn't have a charitable donation committee, maybe now is the time to create one.

Anonymous said...

As someone with inside knowledge of how they work, they are backward and poorly run. Their insular idea of who can run their locations has resulted in not being efficient in financial management or common business practices. They don't get the best people - they get those who will work for just above minimum wage. If you want a first class operation, you need to have first class people.

Anonymous said...

It is a shame. A few years ago they really had the Red Kettle campaign rocking and rolling. Joe helped promote that and get it going. It was the "in" thing to do. Why did they let that slide?

Anonymous said...

Back in the day, the SA was the popular charity with all the big hitters being involved. Thought it was headed back that way a few years ago, but poor leadership squashed it.

Anonymous said...

You would think as long as the Salvation Army has been in Salisbury, that a youth that has went there and made their way in life would give back to this program ?

Anonymous said...

The Salvation Army is certainly a worth while organization for kids, providing them with a place to go in an organized and peaceful environment. When I was a youngster there were many of us kids in the neighborhood who would utilize the facility and enjoyed the supervision that was provided. As far as this facility and any debt that has been incurred, I wouldn't count out local government participation, but only after a non partisan group from the private sector performed an audit to determine if current funds have been used wisely.Only then should local government participate in funding, no more than one third of funds raised elsewhere. Investments in our youth is wise, but must be done with discretion.

Anonymous said...

Yes I think they should help support them. I can't believe they weren't getting a donation form the county or town. I also would think all of the Salvation Army's would have some type of audit to account for spending each year.

Anonymous said...

9:18 AM and 9:30 AM - Good ideas!

Anonymous said...

no. a resounding no.

Anonymous said...

NO

Anonymous said...

Dave T: Absolutely not. The old saying, "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" seems to apply here in my opinion. Joe, what you did was a kind and thoughtful act intended to help a group already struggling. The fact that they acted on unsubstantiated allegations against you in an attempt to be politically correct speaks volumes about their character. The local Goodwill is another place where idiots seem to run the asylum. Sorry, but I have little compassion for those who return good with evil and I don't like their reaction to how they treated you. I find it offensive as a white man to think that blacks can easily play the race card at any time and place of their choosing without having to prove such heinous allegations. Meanwhile, the burden is consistently placed on whites to prove such allegations when they are victims of racial crime. Sorry for your luck SA, that's called karma and you got what you deserve. Sounds to me like the SA needs to learn who their real friends are and consider getting some leadership that understands good judgement.

Anonymous said...

The Greater Salisbury Committee should get on this. It's an opportunity to support a worthwhile service to the community, one that strengthens it.

Anonymous said...

No way !!!!!

Anonymous said...

I remember years ago when Mark Thompson was in charge, he asked the county for money then and cried wolf. Said they would have to shut the place down. It never happened as we all know. Is that what is going on right now?

Anonymous said...

NO! We got enough useless programs and charities for deadbeats.

Anonymous said...

Yes. There was a time they helped the community. Now our community is is so far gone it can hardly help anyone. To many need help. Help them with future restrictions. Make them help only the people who need it not abuse it.

Anonymous said...

No, the county should not. To take it one step further than those who have suggested that churches step in, I will say let the black churches step in. Look at how their Pastors and First Ladies dress and live and what they drive. They are raking it in.

My child also was not welcome in sports as he is caucasian.

Anonymous said...

Mark Thompson used to get grants for the Army. Do they even try for grants now? They are a victim of their own waste and lack of business skills. You shouldn't expect the Hazel and Perdue families to support your organization. They should be icing on the cake. The fact that the Army hasn't had a real development person for years is because they "expect" to be supported by those families. Not my definition of being a Christian organization.

Anonymous said...

I give enough of my taxes to these ingrates ,We can't even use this facility due to the racism.

Anonymous said...

I agree with 8:38 the building they had was fine and I am sure just as many kids played sports years ago as now, moving to Jersey Rd was a bad idea it helped kids in just one area, what was wrong where it was centrally located. And the different programs for seniors is down in number also. I was a member 2 yrs ago and had considered returning I called 3 x in the last 30 days to talk to someone about what was offered and left messages on the recorder my calls were never returned. I tried twice to talk to the person in charge of the activities now and could not even get their attention for a minute or any answers. No to the community helping.

Anonymous said...


Nope.

Years ago my kids played some hoops there. Seemed to be underutilized then at the original location. Then they expanded.

My understanding is that their leadership is assigned to locations, ala the Army. But their motivation for getting involved is religious in nature, and they don't necessarily have deep management skills.

Was laudable that Hazel family and others reached out to help but programs like this must self-sustain. Even best benefactors only have so much to share.

The idea of having those who use and benefit contribute some cash and some personal time has a lot of merit.

Anonymous said...

No, and let the cops arrest the kids this summer, it will help them be scared straight.

Anonymous said...

Sad situation. I hope they get it sorted out. Wouldn't it be great if there was a big community fundraiser .. everyone involved kids parents and salisbury.. The children who go here will be in Salisbury 20 years from now .. Salisbury's children are Salisbury's future.. I hope we adults can get make this right for them. It's our job to inspire.

Anonymous said...

It is a sad day but the Red Cross and the Salvation Army need a forensic audit. I can not trust them any longer. Where did all the money go ? Something stinks here.

Anonymous said...

Yes.

Financial responsibility, effective parenting, manners, courtesy and etiquette.

Anonymous said...

Can you say Hell No!

Can I get an Amen!!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
No. My son played on the football team there, but soon discovered that he was not wanted because of his skin color.

Let the Black Community come up with the cash; don't ask us!

May 11, 2016 at 7:19 AM

BAMMM!!! You hit the nail on the head. Black people don't want white people playing on their football teams at the Salvation Army. My kid was one of the best kids playing in that league and rarely got any playing time because he was white. Finally we woke up and went to Fruitland Falcons where he was the star player every year. Fruitland Falcons doesn't care what color your skin is. If you don't believe my kid wasn't the star then go there in the Fall and hear is name mentioned by Ed Urban on just about every play made when his team is playing.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Yes. They have to. They signed the contract. Good luck getting out of that.

May 11, 2016 at 9:14 AM

I can assure you the county didn't sign any contract. Funny how you keyboard warriors post sh!t that is absolutely false. Where did you come up with this crap moron!

Did you know that the county owns that property and lets them use it for barely nothing and the Salvation Army has failed at everything they do.

Anonymous said...

I bet all of these "Yays" are Obama voters and have never contributed to any tax base.

Anonymous said...

Let the RICH 1% do something for the Salvation Army. The working class (middle and poor) have no more to give. Otherwise, let the place rot.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Mark Thompson used to get grants for the Army. Do they even try for grants now? They are a victim of their own waste and lack of business skills. You shouldn't expect the Hazel and Perdue families to support your organization. They should be icing on the cake. The fact that the Army hasn't had a real development person for years is because they "expect" to be supported by those families. Not my definition of being a Christian organization.

May 11, 2016 at 1:09 PM

Hey Dumb Dumb Mark Thompson was the problem with the Salvation Army. He is the only person in the History of the Salvation Army to get fired from there 3 times, yes 3 times. He also got fired at Fedex for dipping his pen in company ink. Ooops, did I say that? That's right and he was married.... and now he claims he is a man of God. Reverend Thompson. LMAO