Grassroots
NPCC "Saddened" as US Too! Quits
Earlier: US Too! Quits Prostate Cancer Coalition
FollowUp US Too! Never Paid, NPCC Says
April 5, 2001. PSA Rising, NYC.
Dr. Richard Atkins, Vice-chair and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of National Prostate Cancer Coalition, said Tuesday that the Coalition "is
only interested in battling prostate cancer, not one another."
Breakup of the coalition happened April 1 when US Too! International, the Chicago-based prostate cancer support and education organization, quit. Atkins said, "US Too! has a right to participate - or not - in NPCC or
NPCC-sponsored activities."
"We respect that about US Too!," Atkins said, "as we respect it about any other organization, family or
individual. That doesn't mean that the staff and board at NPCC aren't
saddened by US Too!'s decision. We are."
Asked if NPCC will lose revenue, Atkins said: "During the
period of time that I have been at NPCC, US Too!, unlike
other board organizations, has made no financial contribution to NPCC.
Rather, financial support has gone in the other direction, both for
Chicago-based staffing and in an 'in-kind' agreement (i.e., that NPCC
would not compete for the same program-based financial solicitations
on which US Too! depends)."
A former NPCC board member had said that before Atkins took over in 1999 after resignation of Jay Hedlund, US Too! contributed about $50 thousand a year to NPCC compared to about $350 thousand from Michael Milken's foundation
CaP CURE, $100 thousand from AFUD, $10 thousand for small organizations and $5 thousand for members at
large (individuals).
Mr. Atkins rejected these figures. "Sad to say," he said, "there is
absolutely no truth to the unidentified ... statement that the
organization contributed $50K per year to NPCC. It is patently
ridiculous, and it is not supported by any responsible documentation,
like audited financial statements or IRS 990s. The $50K figure is
actually closer to the amount NPCC provided for support of staff in
Chicago."
"When I took over NPCC in 1999," Atkins said, "it was approximately $250K in debt,
which was resolved by a serious and significant fundraising effort
directed to a broad base of contributors."
"CaP CURE," Atkins said, "has never contributed $350K per year. AFUD
has never contributed $100K per year. I wish."
Atkins added that in 1999 he made a commitment to "a valued board
member and NPCC vice-chair, Hank Porterfield, not to compete with US
Too! for funding, "and I have, to the best of my ability, honored it."
"And, to be sure," he added wistfully, "NPCC struggles, as John Page
notes about Us Too!, with limited financial resources that it tries to put
to optimal use."
But, Atkins said, "beyond dollars or 'fiscal capital,'
US Too! has made valuable contributions of person time, or 'human
capital,' to NPCC's activities. And, if that abates, it will be missed."
"At the end of the day," Atkins said, "we spend too much time arguing
with one another - or being goaded into arguing about one another,
rather than focusing concerted energies on ending this epidemic. And
that should be this community's only focus. I do not want to spend any
more time on this issue. There is enough space in the world for US Too!
and NPCC to make contributions without stepping on each other's feet,
or without being painted, unfortunately and too often inaccurately, as
putting feet into mouths. " Feet, he said, should be used "to stomp out
prostate cancer instead."
In Fiscal 1998 National Prostate
Cancer Coalition, Inc. reported Contributions of $654,449 and a net loss of $-115,273.
US Too! reported Total Revenue of $488,922, Total
Expenditures of $294,109 for a net gain of $194,813.
Financial Statements in Acrobat Reader format from http://www.guidestar.com
E-mail [email protected]
April 5, 2001
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