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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2019)
NEWS A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019 Salvation Army, Fellowship of Christian Athletes caught in controversy By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Bell ringers with red ket- tles collecting donations for The Salvation Army are a classic sign that the holidays have arrived, but for some, the choice about whether to drop in a few dollars has become as political as it is personal. The religious nonprofi t, which describes itself as the “largest social services pro- vider in the world,” has made headlines recently as the fast-food restaurant chain Chick-fi l-A announced it would be changing its chari- table giving strategy. Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Ath- letes, which also has local chapters in Umatilla and Morrow counties, will no longer be receiving funds from the restaurant’s chari- table foundation. “Staying true to its mis- sion of nourishing the poten- tial in every child, the Chick- fi l-A Foundation will deepen its giving to a smaller num- ber of organizations work- ing exclusively in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger,” the restaurant said. Many have speculated that The Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes were among those that didn’t make the cut because both organizations have come under fi re from activists who say they dis- criminate against members of the LGBTQ community. Chick-fi l-A itself has also been boycotted by LGBTQ groups for its founder’s stance against gay marriage and for donations to organi- zations considered anti-gay. Pendleton Salvation Army staff directed ques- tions on the subject to Alexa Morris, director of commu- nications for the Cascades region of The Salvation Army. She said the organi- zation does not turn away people in need of services based on sexual orientation HH fi le photo A Pendleton resident drops a donation into a Salvation Army bell ringer’s donation bucket outside of the Bi-Mart in 2018. The religious nonprofi t has made headlines recently as the fast-food restaurant chain Chick-fi l-A announced it would be changing its charitable giving strategy. Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which also has local chapters in Umatilla and Morrow counties, will no longer be receiving funds from the restaurant’s charitable foundation. or gender identity. “We serve everyone and anyone who comes through our doors,” she said. Posts that have circu- lated on social media in recent years tell stories — often anonymously — of discrimination at the hands of Salvation Army employ- ees and volunteers, claiming they have made derogatory comments, turned transgen- der people away from shel- ters if they were not willing to sleep in areas accord- ing to their assigned sex at birth, or required homosex- ual couples to sleep in sep- arate areas while allowing heterosexual couples to stay together. Critics also point to the Salvation Army’s religious doctrine requiring celibacy outside of marriage and restricting the defi nition of marriage to between a man and a woman. In 2015, the magazine Queerty pub- lished internal documents from Salvation Army direct- ing offi cers to decline to per- form same-sex marriages. Today, The Salvation Army’s website has a sec- tion dedicated to dispelling what it calls “myths” about its treatment of LGBTQ people, stating that it does not discriminate in hiring or providing services, such as emergency shelter. The organization points to its practice of hiring openly gay employees and that it offers the same benefi ts to employees in same-sex mar- riages as it does to all mar- ried employees. The organization states due to homophobia, youth who identify as LGBTQ are more likely to be homeless, making up as much as 40% of the country’s homeless youth population. The Sal- vation Army assists them with food, clothing, shelter and counseling resources. “We serve more than 23 million individuals a year, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, we believe we are the largest provider of poverty relief to the LGBTQ+ popu- lation,” The Salvation Army said in a statement respond- ing to Chick-fi l-A’s decision to not donate to the organi- zation in 2020. “When mis- information is perpetuated without fact, our ability to serve those in need, regard- less of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or any other factor, is at risk.” Morris said all dona- tions made to red kettles and events, such as The Salvation Army’s red ket- tle kickoff fundraising din- ner, stay locally, supporting programs like meals for the homeless that The Salvation Army provides in Pendle- ton six days a week. Even if someone makes an online donation, the money stays within the ZIP code asso- ciated with the credit card used to pay. “You’re able to give right in your community,” she said. Morris said a volunteer bell ringer will on average bring in enough money in one hour to pay for 13 meals for a homeless member of their community. Major DeWayne Hallstad of the Pendleton Salvation Army told the Hermiston Herald earlier this year there were 73 people at a meal the pre- vious day. “We urge the public to seek the truth before rush- ing to ill-informed judg- ment and greatly appreciate those partners and donors who ensure that anyone who needs our help feels safe and comfortable to come through our doors,” The Salvation Army stated. In 2019, Chick-fi l-A donated $115,000 to The Salvation Army for its Angel Tree program, which provides Christmas gifts for children, and $1.65 million to the Fellowship of Chris- tian Athletes to pay for underprivileged youths to attend sports camps at his- torically black universities, such as Morehouse College. Rod Bragato of Herm- iston, who supervises the Umatilla and Morrow County chapter of the Fel- lowship of Christian Ath- letes, said the money Chick- fi l-A has donated to the organization in the past has stayed on the other side of the country and not been used to fund programs locally. “The issue is really irrele- vant to us,” he said. Locally, the FCA offers optional religious devo- tionals to student athletes after practices, hosts athletic activities, such as broom hockey, and offers weekend camps. Bragato said they serve about 300 students on a weekly basis. The organization has been criticized for the “statement of faith” on its website, which says, in part, that sexual relations should only happen within mar- riage and that marriage is “exclusively the union of one man and one woman” and that leaders must agree to follow teachings on sex- ual purity. Bragato said despite the national organization’s reli- gious beliefs, local students are never turned away for being LGBTQ and he has not been instructed by the organization to do so. “Anyone can come,” he said. “I don’t think anyone is discriminated against.” PET OF THE W EEK Henry is a sweet boy who is under a year old. No cats or goats as he tries to chase them. He is good with other dogs and people and possibly other farm animals. Needs a tall fence. Does not do well yet on hard floors, but can run fast when outside so needs very secure fence. MEET HENRY PLACE YOUR AD HERE! Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA Contact Audra at Small and Large Animal Care Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service 541.567.1138 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com 541.564.4538 Today! If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. 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