Tuesday, October 10th

From the Tennova Healthcare Cleveland News Desk, here is your news for Tuesday, October 10th, on Mix 104-1 and Talk 101-3 The Buzz.

An update on a story from yesterday…

Investigators have identified Bobby Mitchell Bunch, age 51, of Cleveland as the deceased driver in Saturday’s motorcycle collision on Georgetown Rd.

On Saturday, at approximately 10:32 p.m., a single occupant motorcycle collision was reported to the Bradley County 911 Center. The caller, who has been identified as the motorcycle driver’s girlfriend, directed first-responders to the scene at 330 Georgetown Circle located in northwestern Bradley County. First-responders located the deceased motorcycle driver off the roadway inside a ditch, who received fatal injuries from not wearing a helmet.

Investigators estimate the collision occurred an hour prior to the discovery of the driver, and learned the motorcycle was stolen out of Bradley County.

The Public Safety Unit is still actively investigating.

Also in news today…

Lee University’s Development Inclusion Classroom (LUDIC) has partnered with First Baptist of Cleveland (FBC) in its recent move to an FBC property.

Due to the continuing construction of Lee’s developing South Campus, a search for a new home for LUDIC began Spring 2017. The partnership with FBC developed quickly and the new center opened in Fall 2017.

The Family Life Center building was formerly a daycare, but was unoccupied before the partnership with LUDIC began.

LUDIC is a state-approved private school for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and operates during the school year, as well as a six-week session in the summer. The classroom currently serves 20 students from age two to 22.

Lee also collaborated with Cleveland City Schools to house the program at Arnold Elementary School this summer.

From the Cleveland Daily Banner…

In the wake of the recent tragic Las Vegas shootings that left 58 country-music festivalgoers dead, the Cleveland office of the Better Business Bureau has cautioned local donors about potential scams operating under the ruse of fundraising on behalf of survivors and victims’ families.

Lisa Geren, executive director of the BBB’s Cleveland office, warned that such schemes are becoming more and more prevalent following major tragedies, especially those receiving regional and national headlines.

In a set of 11 key reminders, the local BBB office — acting in partnership with the BBB Wise Giving Alliance — recommended donors closely scrutinize organizations conducting fundraisers on behalf of any tragedy. The mass shootings in Las Vegas are the most recent example, Geren stressed.

As provided by the BBB office and its Wise Giving Alliance, these tips for “trusted giving” include:

1. Thoughtful Giving: Take the time to check out the charity to avoid wasting your generosity by donating to a questionable or poorly managed effort. The first request for a donation may not be the best choice. Be proactive and find trusted charities that are providing assistance. Visit Give.org to verify if a charity meets the BBB Standards for Charitable Accountability.

2. Crowdfunding: Keep in mind that some crowdfunding sites do very little vetting of individuals who decide to post for assistance after a tragedy or a disaster, and it is often difficult for donors to verify the trustworthiness of crowdfunding requests for support. For more Give.org tips on crowdfunding, check out this Wise Giving Wednesday post.

3. Respect for Victims and Their Families: Organizations raising funds should get permission from the families to use either the names of the victims and/or any photographs of them. Some charities raising funds for the victims of previous shootings did not do this and were the subject of criticism from victims’ families.

4. State Government Registration: About 40 of the 50 states require charities to register with a state government agency (usually a division of the State Attorney General’s office) before they solicit for charitable gifts. If the charity is not registered, that may be a significant red flag.

5. How Will Donations Will Be Used? Watch out for vague appeals that don’t identify the intended use of funds. For example, how will the donations help victims’ families? Also, unless told otherwise, donors will assume that funds collected quickly in the wake of a tragedy will be spent just as quickly. See if the appeal identifies when the collected funds will be used.

6. What if a Family Sets Up Its Own Assistance Fund? Some families may decide to set up their own assistance funds. Be mindful that such funds may not be set up as charities. Also, if collected monies are received and administered by a third party such as a bank, CPA or lawyer, this will help provide oversight and ensure the collected funds are used appropriately (such as paying for funeral costs, counseling and other tragedy-related needs).

7. Advocacy Organizations: Tragedies that involve violent acts with firearms can also generate requests from a variety of advocacy organizations that address gun use. Donors can support these efforts as well, but note that some of these advocacy groups are not tax-exempt as charities. Also, watch out for newly-created advocacy groups that will be difficult to check out.

8. Online Caution: Never click on links to charities on unfamiliar websites or in text messages or email. These may take you to a look-alike website where you will be asked to provide personal financial information, or may download harmful malware onto your computer. Don’t assume that charity recommendations on social media have already been vetted.

9. Financial Transparency: After funds are raised for a tragedy, it is even more important for organizations to provide an accounting of how funds were spent. Transparent organizations will post this information on their websites so that anyone can find out without having to wait until the audited financial statements are available sometime in the future.

10. Newly Created v. Established Organizations: This is a personal giving choice, but an established charity will more likely have the experience to quickly address the circumstances and have a track record that can be evaluated. A newly-formed organization may be well-meaning, but will be difficult to check out and may not be well managed.

11. Tax Deductibility: Not all organizations collecting funds to assist after a tragedy are tax exempt as charities under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donors can support these other entities, but keep this in mind if they want to take a deduction for federal income tax purposes. In addition, contributions that are donor-restricted to help a specific individual or family are not deductible as charitable donations, even if the recipient organization is a charity.

Geren stressed that it’s unfortunate that some individuals, or groups, would take advantage of the willingness of big-hearted donors to help others in times of tragedy. But, because of the convenience of internet and other technology- or electronic-driven tools, such crimes are becoming more widespread, she noted.

This has been your local and state news. You can get news anytime by visiting our website, mymix1041.com, powered by Pioneer Credit. From the Tennova Healthcare Cleveland News Desk, this is Jeremy Gault reporting.