Phillies MiLBers Fundraising For Tornado Relief

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Hey folks, just in case you haven’t seen it, here’s a link to the fund-raising page of Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs Josh Fields and his wife, with a note about their efforts and those of Reading Fightins’ Tyler Henson. Many of the Reading guys are also donating a small sum for every retweet on Twitter, so find Henson on there @Hendog4 and you can seek those guys out to retweet their messages. I think it’s Rupp, Biddle, Jim Murphy, Jay Johnson and David Buchanan, and maybe more.

Both Henson and Fields are new to the Phillies this year, and their efforts to help people in their home state of Oklahoma should be commended.

If you weren’t planning to give anything, I’d like to challenge you right now. I’m going to put up $50 myself as a matching gift for a bunch of us to give small donations through the Fields’ site or another Oklahoma Relief Charity, or to Red Cross (Text ‘redcross’ to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross at large – they’re helping in Oklahoma of course, though it’s not a targeted donation, per se). Five people giving $10 or ten giving $5 or any combination thereof. Whatever you give, I will give.

Please be honest – just comment on this page by the end of Memorial Day Weekend (extended from Friday – brad) and say how much you gave after reading this, (sign in anonymously if you don’t want to brag or whatever), and if any of you guys want to challenge others with matching goals, let me know in the comments and I will add it to the top.

34 thoughts on “Phillies MiLBers Fundraising For Tornado Relief”

  2. Even though it was rotten of the senators from that state to refuse aid to hurricane sandy, The people shouldn’t suffer. I will help the people too.

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  3. 1st of all, Inhofe and Coburn from OK didn’t vote against all of the Sandy aid. They voted to remove 27 billion of “pork” that was in it. So, if you are going to make a statement like that, know your facts.
    “Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, argued that there is no comparison between Hurricane Sandy relief, which he voted against last fall, and aid for his state in the wake of Monday’s devastating tornado because the two are “totally different.”

    Inhofe contended on Tuesday that the Hurricane Sandy relief bill was different because it was filled with pork. “They were getting things, for instance, that was supposed to be in New Jersey,” he said on MSNBC. “They had things in the Virgin Islands. They were fixing roads there, they were putting roofs on houses in Washington, D.C. Everybody was getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place. That won’t happen in Oklahoma.””

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    1. That will happen in the bill for Oklahoma. These disaster relief bills are the only things that move in DC, so everyone attaches their pet project. Inhofe will still vote for the bill since he’s a hypocrite, Coburn will probably stay consistent and vote against it because he is a man of principle. Also, it wasn’t so much the pork that made them vote against it, but that there weren’t mandatory offsets in the budget.

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  4. Forgot to put my name to the above. It’s HOWARD and I’m a proud Okie and love the Phillies.

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    1. Your explanation would be fine if I believed those two senators had an ounce of conviction beyond partisan politics. I do not.

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  5. Its okay. Howard this isn’t a site for debate on it. plus. what politican would admit he only cares for his state. screw the other states, The effects of sandy are till being felt. and would have been worse. lucky not everyone is as heartless as the senators from your state. we forgave your state and will help your people.

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  6. Roccom. It was YOU and not ME who started a debate. Why even mention Sandy aid?
    You liberals can’t be this stupid. Do you really think 36 Republican Senators just decided to not give federal money to NJ after Sandy? Heck, Obama has increased the debt to 17 TRILLION. Before you make statements about the OK Senators, why not try and research it first. When you see what PORK the Libs put into a Sandy relief bill, you’ll understand.

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    1. And now the liberals are too stupid to see the obvious. Thanks for your grown-up opinions Howard.

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      2. lmao, your funny Bradin. all I know is that the people of okaloma have a reprensetive who voted against aid for sandy, show me a bill that doesn’t have pork in it.I mention sandy because of what I have seen down there. and just couldn’t believe.people in this country wouldn’t help. Howard opinion are the same as the rep. who voted against aid. so if that is grown up. I will stay a baby.

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  8. Guys……..please don’t give the money to the Red Cross. Most of that money goes toward administrative pay for people in the Red Cross. On the Red Cross web page, it even says that the money you give will not go towards the tornado relief. It’s better to find a local charity here in Oklahoma to give it to. If you want to give something, let me know and I will get you the name of a local organization here in Oklahoma that will make sure every penny goes to the tornado relief. As for the political stuff mentioned above, it’s a shame that congress can’t pass a single bill without pork attached. The only way it’s ever going to change is to call and complain to your congressmen and tell them, that we need a line item veto, and/or that every bill has to stand alone. Change won’t happen unless we make them change it by voting all of the self serving congressmen out and put people in who will serve us instead of themselves.

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      1. Any random aid organization in Oklahoma is probably not much better, if at all. Red Cross is helping people and helping fund other organizations every time there is a natural disaster like this and even when there are much smaller ones. Red Cross donations are not targeted to Oklahoma, because Oklahoma is happening now and Red Cross is helping there with funds they already had in their coffers, as will be true the next time a tornado takes down someone’s home or an earthquake or a flood or a severe storm goes through your town or mine.

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  9. I’m just telling you what was on the Red Cross web page. It specifically said that money sent would not be used for tornado relief in Oklahoma. I didn’t believe it myself until three different friends pointed it out to me.

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    1. Right, they fundraise for their entire organization, so funds they collected last month for random event X are being used now in Oklahoma. Doesn’t make their mission or donating to their organization any less fruitful for humans in need.

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  10. By the way…..the snopes link above proves my point. The Red Cross is the second worse offender. The President/CEO of the Red Cross made over $650,000 last year in salary.

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    1. The snopes link most certainly does not prove your point. “You said please don’t give the money to the Red Cross. Most of that money goes toward administrative pay for people in the Red Cross.” The snopes link states that the Red Cross’ efficiency is at 92%, which is very good. It also means that the statement “Most of that money goes toward administrative pay for people in the Red Cross” is blatantly false. IOW, a lie.

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    1. That was quite harsh. Your statement may not hold water in a literal sense, but I hardly think it’s worthy of being called a liar.

      As for the point about their leadership making as much as they do – in order to attract a talented person to run a nationwide organization, you’re going to have to pay out a pretty nice salary. It is a huge task that takes a big-picture executive to manage and lead just like any other large entity. Doesn’t mean the organization is wasting money. Would it be nice if the leader would take a much smaller salary in the spirit of charity? Sure. But just remember that a person who successfully runs a group as large as the Red Cross for $650k per year could probably make multiples of that salary running a private hospital corporation or similarly large national/international private health/human service organization tomorrow if they so desired.

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  12. My intent with my comment was to point out that there are local organizations here in Oklahoma City that are distributing 100% of the funds coming in to those who need it, not to get into it with someone who flippantly throws out names and calls people a liar who they don’t even know. I live here in Oklahoma sir and I personally know people who lost their homes in the tornado. I know for a fact that they have received much more in the way of help both financially and physically from the local churches, and organizations such as the Lions Club than they have from the Red Cross. These local organizations are not taking out anything for administrative costs and they are showing up in droves to help those who need it. If you have some connection with the Red Cross, or are offended by my comments, then I am sorry for that, but you can keep your name calling to yourself. Thanks.

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    1. Just to clarify, those local groups who aren’t using any funds for administration are using funds from their prior efforts for administration. Something is paying for them to be able to operate, be it the national Lions organization or National Church Offices, or last month’s pancake breakfast or weekly tithes and offerings to a church. Red Cross doesn’t claim to offer 100% of their donations because it is not true, and those groups, while passing any currently received funds through to families, etc., are paying their costs from someone’s previous generosity, or member dues, or what have you. It’s just a different way of accounting for it.

      You know better than we do what the organizations are doing anecdotally on the ground right now. But Red Cross is likely doing larger scale things, working with other national organizations, and funnelling money to some of those local groups, as well as helping individuals when it’s needed now and two weeks and two months from now when the media attention and targeted fundraising dries up. Both local and national aid organizations are worthy of support, and slamming Red Cross over what has proven to be a reasonable level of administration costs is not, in my opinion, helpful in the grand scheme of things.

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  13. Just to clarify…..the local churches ARE NOT using funds from prior efforts to pay for administrative costs. Helping each other is what we do here……just to clarify.

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  14. …..also……I wasn’t really trying to knock the Red Cross. They do good work. Just saying the money could be put to better use going through the local groups here. Thanks for your comments Bradindc. Bad situation here. Literally thousands with no place to live and everything gone. Just trying to see to it that if anyone wants to help, there are more direct ways to get it to those who need it. I don’t get on here and comment about the ball players, my son or any other player. Just saw the post about helping with relief and wanted to make everyone aware there were more direct paths. All help is appreciated.

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    1. Fair enough. I don’t think you or I are really on opposite sides here. It boils down to semantic arguments at some point over accounting for admin costs, (that’s a policy/accounting argument and not really pertinent to the current issue). I’ll absolutely concede that there are places where that direct money to local organizations will get to people more quickly than money that goes to the Red Cross, and donating to those places is worthwhile. I personally split my donations between the Ashleigh Fields fund, which I imagine is being distributed through her time and efforts alone, and Red Cross.

      Best of luck to you and your loved ones.

      p.s. – Didn’t know you were one of those “Carmans”. Hope your son is back out on the field soon.

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  15. Hahahaha……Yep. I am Chad’s dad. He got the pins out of his finger today (June 4), and starts rehab. He and I both look forward to him getting back soon.

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