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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 2009)
Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, December 17, 2009 Attorney General provides useful tips for wise charitable giving There are nearly 16,000 charities registered with the Oregon Department of Justice, and many of them are actively seeking donations. The state cannot dictate how charities spend your money, but Attor- ney General John Kroger is providing some basic advice to ensure that your gifts go to a worthy cause. The Oregon Department of Justice Charitable Activities Section is responsible for en- suring that organizations solic- iting funds in Oregon register and file periodic financial re- ports showing how donations are spent. The section also protects the public against or- ganizations that attempt to mis- lead Oregon donors. This year they took action against sever- al charities that claimed to ben- efit local search and rescue teams, schools, and veterans. CHARITABLE GIVING TIPS Don’t give to unregistered charities. Before donating, make sure the organization is registered with the Attorney General’s Office by searching the online database at www.doj .state.or.us or by calling 971- 673-1880. You can also visit www.guidestar.org, a national clearinghouse of information on charities and how they spend your money. Make sure your gift goes to groups that will use your donation in a manner that matches your goals. Do your research. There are more than 1.2 million chari- ties registered with the IRS. Ask yourself: “What is impor- tant to me?” Focus on your own priorities when deciding where your contribution should go. In addition to www.guidestar.org, there are other groups that rate and provide information about charities and their perform- ance, such as the Better Busi- ness Bureau (www.give.org), Charity Navigator (www.chari- tynavigator.org), and the Amer- ican Institute of Philanthropy (www.charity watch.org). Resist impulse decisions to donate. Beware of callers who want your money fast. If you are interested, ask the caller to send written materials about the charity; no legitimate organization will insist that you donate immediately. And watch out for solicitors who use dra- matic, heart-tugging stories. Do not donate cash. Legiti- mate charities will be pleased to receive a contribution by check. Don’t send contributions by wire or with an overnight parcel pick-up service. If you don’t remember a pledge, you probably didn’t make one. Watch out for solic- itors who begin by thanking you for your previous support if the organization is unfamiliar to you. Some organizations will also send an invoice claiming you made a recent pledge when you didn’t. These meth- ods are intended to confuse and intimidate you into giving money. Contact the charity direct- ly. Call the organization directly to learn if it exists and make sure the charity is aware of any fundraising efforts on its behalf. Bogus charities often use names or logos that resemble those of reputable organiza- tions. Don’t give personal or fi- nancial information over the phone. Be wary of requests for payment over-the-phone. Le- gitimate charities are pleased to receive a contribution by check. Beware of sweepstakes for charity. Legitimate chari- ties may conduct raffles as fundraising events. In contrast, questionable charities may try to entice you to contribute by implying that you are a guaran- teed winner in a sweepstakes. The “guaranteed” prize may be as little as 10 cents. In some cases, the solicitor represents that you are the grand prize winner if only you will make a substantial contribution. The values of such prizes are exag- gerated and the required “con- tribution” means that the “sweepstakes” is likely to be an illegal lottery. Reputable chari- ties do not employ such de- vices to gain contributions. Reduce solicitations by registering your phone on the Do-Not-Call List. Under Oregon law, if your number is on the No-call list, charities may not solicit donations over the phone unless you are a past donor or expressed a pre- vious interest in giving. Oregon residents may register by call- ing 1-888-382-1222 toll free, or online at www.donotcall.gov. Can You Dig It By Schann Nelson OSU Master Gardener Brrrr! No question now – plants destined to suc- cumb to the cold have done succumbed, what with the ground frozen sol- id for a week! As I write, the clouds have moved in and we are approaching a balmy 28 degrees. It really bugs me that TV weather- man routinely report the expected wind and ice storms in the Gorge where severe weather con- ditions are normal. The Coast Range, and Ver- nonia, generally has weather within a few points of that in Washington County. But sometimes, like last week, there’s a pretty dramatic differ- ence. It thawed during the day in Hillsboro! It’s nice to see more people putting up lights this year – I even got some up out here. Now if I could just get timers installed so that I didn’t have to remember to plug and unplug the darn things. It is good to have adequate lighting to get in and out of the house in the dark days ahead. A Great Mystery, worthy of winters contempla- tion, that when the days get longer, they seem shorter as clouds will be our near companions more often than not until summer. Which is not to imply that there’s no garden- ing to be done. After weatherizing the lawn mow- er, etc. take a look at your hand tools. There is no finer rake than one with a long, well-oiled smooth handle. I think this would be a great Christmas present (hint, hint). I know that tools work best when clean and sharp, but I have a terrible time finding the time or energy to file the hoes and shovels, oil the handles, clean and sharpen the pruners and loppers. Definitely a job for the Christmas Garden Fairy! Meanwhile, my attempt to turn my office win- dow into a Zone 10 environment is so far suc- cessful. The geraniums are blooming! My 3 x 5 foot window faces south and gets direct sun from about 11 a.m. to 4ish at this time of year. It can get positively sultry in the middle of the day when we capture direct radiant heat from the sun, mm- mmmm! I’m trying to find a way to keep ‘Kent Beauty’ ornamental oregano, Origanum rotundi- folium, alive. My preserved tag says they are hardy zones 9 –11, so I originally thought I only had to provide one additional zone of protection, which shouldn’t be too difficult outside. The last two years I have had these spendy babies sur- vive until mid-winter, but just not be able to hang on until the weather really warms up. Part of the problem is that a few warmish days seem to make it think it needs to start growing. The new growth is immediately slammed by the next frost. I’m willing to keep trying because mature speci- mens in hanging baskets are amazing and good bee plants. I have post-top planters I am hoping will become homes for huge cascades of pink and green flower foliage. I potted my ‘Kent Beau- ty’ in the fall after frost and I cut all of last year’s stems off close to the crown. The darn things have such brittle stems that I can’t seen to han- dle them without breaking several large stems. So far, it’s thriving in the window though it’s hard to keep it watered. Water is the life and death of indoor plants, they often get too much or too little. Being observant and attentive to these indoor gar- dens will sooth your gardener’s soul and improve your indoor air quality. Happy Holidays! Keep warm! Be safe! Church Directory N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST F IRST B APTIST C HURCH Gary Taylor, Pastor Grant & North Streets, Vernonia 503 429-5378 Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Nursery available Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m. Gary S. Walter, Pastor 2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia 503 429-8301 Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m. Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. 359 “A” Street, Vernonia 503 429-4027 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m. A SSEMBLY OF G OD S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH Wayne and Maureene Marr 662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia, 503 429-0373 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator 960 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-8841 Mass Sunday 12:00 Noon Religious Educ. Sunday 10:30 a.m. V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH Sam Hough, Minister 410 North Street, Vernonia 503 429-6522 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m. (meets in Youth & Family Center) Home Group Meeting throughout the week at various locations Grant Williams, Pastor 957 State Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-6790 Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Morning Worship 9:45 a.m. Children and Nursery 10:00 a.m. Youth Group 6:00 p.m. Preschool Mon. & Wed. 9:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer 6:00 p.m. Tues. & Fri. Adult Volleyball 7:00 p.m. V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH Carl Pense, Pastor 850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-1103 Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS Marc Farmer, Branch President 1350 E. Knott Street, Vernonia 503 429-7151 Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m. Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m. Relief Society, Priesthood and Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.