MUSINGS About NON -PROFITS and SKIMMING CHARITY

Oldtown News
Vancouver BC

COMMUNIQUE from THE LADY HAMILTON

In recent days I have been critical of the local Dogwood Monarchist Society (DMS), a local fundraising group around its lack of transparency and accountability in the community.

The DMS board has gloated over donating $19,000 to charity this year yet their income was $40,000. They give themselves favours, spend money on hotels and flights yet rely on the community for all its financial support. Spending 50% of your income on yourselves is not Charity my friends!

Given that we have so much homelessness, poverty, and hunger in our community, I am demanding answers. For this I am being savagely attacked by a few board members who have formed a clique. One even had the nerve to say if I had nothing positive to contribute I should leave the organization. She stated I was not welcome!

Amazing the gall that Board member Summer Clearance has. She thinks she has the right to tell longtime members they are no longer welcome just for expressing our viewpoints. Oh and Summer wasn't even elected to the board but was appointed by a small group of College members (the Clique) who would not allow members to vote on the appointment.

As benevolent Founder and Empress of Canada ted northe said at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday. "We must get back to gaining respect and credibility in our Community. We must be there for the Community and not ourselves". For this simple well thought out and reasoned statement the Empress of Canada was savagely attacked by a few College Members led by Empress 1X DeDe Drew who had the nerve to inform the Founder that they have bent over backwards for her and were tired of her behaviour. How disrespectful is that? This is the Fonder we are speaking about. The founder who gave so much and continues to give. Her vision is why so many people in our community have been helped over the last 40 years.

In a recent 28 day stay in the hospital, not one College member visited the Empress of Canada or even send flowers or well wishes. Yet this same organization spends funds on travel, food and hotel room for an American politician who has never done anything for Vancouver. How shameful is that?

Yes folks thanks for one of our earliest Empresses drawing attention to this matter, she Empress 11 Mona Alexandria Lee was attacked by the same aforementioned clique and denied entry or her walk at the recent ball. Her temporary suspension handed down by this same autocratic clique had no revelence to democratic principles and in fact, the clique is sorta now leaving the illegal suspension on hold.

In any event, The Lady Hamilton draws your attention to this.

Why are these College members giving themselves complimentary trips, free tickets, hotel accommodation yet asking the community to pay $60 for a Ball ticket which we are happy to do if the funds generated are going to help people in need.

Again, I must draw your attention to this. The recent Vancouver, BC Coronation Ball brought in $18,000 in revenues yet Ball expenses were $15,000. Is this acceptable that only $3,000 from the ball tickets went to Charity?

So I pose this is too much money being spent on waste when so many in our community are suffering, homeless, living in poverty and going hungry?

But there are good members of this organization and not everyone should be painted with the same brush. It is why I would rather stay and fight for improvement rather than be pushed out by a vicious clique who are well beyond their best before date.

The Lady Hamilton
longtime DMS Court Member and titleholder
otherwise known as Jamie Lee

"I believe you change the world One man at a time"