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It’s Our Business as Well
By Judy Pavlak, Winsted
Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe—the Attorney General caught the Foundation by the toe. Recently some of the trustees and their "True Facts" supporters have been writing to try to convince us of the greatness and accomplishments of the Winsted Health Center Foundation. Why, they have been known to claim that they own the Health Center, when we know it was the generosity of the communities served by the Center who contributed the $200,000 that paid off the mortgage. They were so sure of their infallibility that they called those who disagreed with them "idiots" and "disgruntled."
How embarrassing it must be to the Foundation's trustees to have Attorney General Richard Blumenthal himself step on their toes and tell them they must return the $500 to its donors because they didn't follow Section 47-2 of the Connecticut General Statues, which requires charities to use gifts only as the donor intended and for no other purpose.
Back in 1999, my husband and I felt Dick Michaelsen, the President of the Foundation, was being treated very unfairly by the Board and its CEO, Fred Hyde. The president received no salary or compensation for trips and out-of-pocket expenses he incurred doing the Foundation's business. The Foundation had $90,000 to pay part-time CEO Hyde, but nothing to give Rev. Michaelsen, a man who was giving his own funds and time freely.
We felt this was shameful and donated $500 to the Foundation to be used for the personal expenses of the president when he was on Foundation business. Several times we asked Dick if he had received any of the money we had donated, but according to him Fred Hyde had some excuse for hanging on to it.
Here it was three years later, and the Foundation had not released the money. I was astounded last fall when Dick Michaelsen asked if the money could be spent for a bulletin board in memory of my parents. I reluctantly agreed, but Raymond was not happy to hear my story. If the Foundation had played games with the money rather than spending it as we requested, they didn't deserve it. We wrote to request the return of the money, but weeks passed and we heard nothing from the Foundation.
It wasn't until Richard Blumenthal got on the case that we got some action. The Foundation continued trying to hang on to the gift by offering to spend it for bills on their "fully equipped office." Our answer? Foundation, you blew it! Too late, fellas! Time to live up to the law! Return our money!
We recently received a $500 check. Since we all want to see the Health Center prosper and continue, I do believe most of you will be happy to hear that we are contributing the gift directly to the Winsted Health Center. The donation will carry the stipulation that it must be applied towards the purchase of medical equipment to be used at the Winsted Health Center.
In fact, I was thinking maybe that is where the money should have gone all along, since the Foundation doesn't seem to have any respect for the community or our wishes. They like our money but don't want the corporators or the people to butt into what they say is their business—which is ours as well.
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