Posted by Charlie Lawrence on October 17, 1997 at 18:52:54:
In Reply to: Re: Waking up the apathetic public:JDF posted by Alan F. Bachrach, M.D. on October 17, 1997 at 00:59:32:
Dr. B. wrote
"I can't speak for others, but I am giving money directly to those that I feel will provide the most benefit. I gave a large donation
this past year to the Vanderbilt Diabetes center which is where my children receive their care. I will continue to give to
Vanderbilt but next year I am also going to give a donation to the Diabetes Research Institute where Dr. Camillo Ricordi is one
of the directors. You can learn more about the DRI on their website. It is located at U of Miami. The fast track center is
available to help push promising technology forward quickly (such as the work of Encelle on macroencapsulation) with clinical
trials. I spoke with Dr. Ricordi and it sounds as if the dollars invested in DRI will be well spent in terms of producing a cure
ASAP. So, if you don't want to donate to the JDF consider the DRI or some other entity you feel is more entitled. Obviously
the money doesn't have to be funneled through JDF (in fact more of it will get to the ultimate recipient if it is give directly)."
..and Charlie sez
This may come as a SHOCK to many on this on the forum,
but I AGREE with some aspects of what you are saying...
(please do not quote me out of context... read on...)
A well thought out plan for giving to DRI, Joslin and so on
can be very effective... especially in cases where a corporation
(IBM as an example) will match employee and or retiree gifts/donations to these institutions (while they might not matching similar donations to JDF, ADA, TIF or other orgs).
Unfortunately, my impression of the GENERAL PUBLIC is that
they will latch on to the "don't donate" portion of this
discussion... rather than follow through with a well thought
out alternative giving plan.
(Look at how many people plan for retirement... LOL...
Savings accts with zip for interest... or mutual funds where
someone else makes the investment decisions for them)...
I guess JDF, ADA, TIF and other orgs are similar to mutual funds... Someone makes the investment decisions on behalf of the donor...
Given the choice between really thinking about a donation,
or "not making a donation"... "not" could very easily become
the norm for the general populace... especially if they hear
nothing but negative vibes about organizations that in reality
are REALLY good and effective organizations.
Its clear that the majority of the followers of this forum
disagree with "how and where" JDF and ADA invests. Ironically, JDF was formed back in the 70's... by parents who (like you) were tired of the status quo... parents who wanted a cure... and yes we were quite outspoken and militant for our time... And yes
there were a lot of verbal blood baths between our volunteers...
The reality is... ADA does serve a purpose and so does JDF...
Both organizations are good at what they do... ADA is an
excellent source of education and JDF is an excellent provider
of BASIC medical research... (with out intending to offend ADA'ers among us, yes ADA does fund research as well... but not in the proportions in terms of dollars and percentages that JDF does)...
Now - where was I going with this...?
Perhaps this is a way to put... I have faith in the volunteers
and staff of JDF... I am trusting them to make the right decisions while I raise the $$$... I'm good at fundraising... but not well equipped to deal with the intricacies (sp?) of research... I'll leave that to the Dr. Ricordi's and others to express their views and suggest directions for research...
If JDF's focus is not in the right place, It SHOULD be changed... But JDF funding direction will not be altered by alienating each other.
Therese sez she is a member of JDF, and Sandy S. is another name
I recognize from my many years of JDF affiliation. From what I know of Sandy - if there is a message to be delivered to JDF (us), she will deliver it! I've also been known to provide my two-cents on occassion as well (imagine that).
So... in conclusion... I've joined this forum to attempt to
understand the options available out there for research that will result in a cure... maybe there are alternatives that JDF should fund such as Encelle (sp?)) - I'm not convinced yet... if they've really got this thing licked... why not go public and sell stock to fund their work (maybe they already have?? I'm speaking out of ignorance here...)...or as other posts suggests... seek small/large business loans, NIH funding
etc etc... (which maybe they have)... but remember - the knowledge base that supports these alternatives resulted from years of JDF funded research by some of the greats like Dr. Paul Lacey... (see the acknowldegements at the end of articles in the TIF website).
2nd conclusion... I have toured DRI... I believe in what they are doing... their innovative ways of doing so much with so little, ((For information on making donations to DRI, visit their website... plug plug for Dr. R. smile smile))
3rd and final comment (well almost) is directed to Dr. Ricordi,
if you're still reading this, PLEASE CONTINUE to make your educational posts... I REALLY appreciate them...
And in the final analysis (a phrase one of my Freshman College Profs said would guarantee a minimum grade of "c" if we used it to answer essay questions) remember "the squeaky wheel is often the one that needs the grease... but let us not forget to make sure that ALL of the OTHER wheels have sufficient lug nuts...lest they rolleth into a ditch".
Cheers & Good Health...
Charlie :)
(all comments are my personal opinion... not to be confused with an official position of JDF... I'm a volunteer
in the trenches)