Relief Fund for injured triplets... kind of seems weird to me

[Anonymous]

I don't care what they lost. Lots of families' trailers catch on fire, and all of MC isn't looking for ways to help them.
The family seems to be a representation of poor planning, starting when the father did not FIRST get his sons out of the house.

[Anonymous]

My friend's house burned down. Luckily they were not home and their 2 kids were safe. The insurance immediatly put them up in short term housing and provided for incidentals...extra clothes, hair dryer, toilet paper, tampons, baby supplies. He husband was an elevator repair man and she was an admin, combined HHI, no more than 90K/yr. At the office we took a collection and she was very embarrassed to take it, insisting that the insurance was covering everything.

At the end of the day she actually made out with the insurance pay out. I too think the website is tacky, if only these people cared as much about the truly poor people who just live a few miles away in PG and DC. Reminds me of the story today about the Merril executive who had the audcity to request a 10mil bonus this year after recieving TARP funds. WTF???!!!

[Anonymous]

I personally think it would have been more appropriate for the website to be taking donations for the fire department that rescued their boys or to encourage people to donate to their local fire departments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally think it would have been more appropriate for the website to be taking donations for the fire department that rescued their boys or to encourage people to donate to their local fire departments.

Nobody is stopping you from creating a website to help the local fire department. So if you think there should be one, go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend's house burned down. Luckily they were not home and their 2 kids were safe. The insurance immediatly put them up in short term housing and provided for incidentals...extra clothes, hair dryer, toilet paper, tampons, baby supplies. He husband was an elevator repair man and she was an admin, combined HHI, no more than 90K/yr. At the office we took a collection and she was very embarrassed to take it, insisting that the insurance was covering everything.

At the end of the day she actually made out with the insurance pay out. I too think the website is tacky, if only these people cared as much about the truly poor people who just live a few miles away in PG and DC. Reminds me of the story today about the Merril executive who had the audcity to request a 10mil bonus this year after recieving TARP funds. WTF???!!!

There sure is an awful lot of finger pointing going on in this thread. Maybe the family is embarrassed by the website. Maybe the people who started the website also donate a lot to the truly poor living a few miles away. How do you know they're not? It has nothing to do with an executive getting a 10 million dollar bonus.

The family lost a lot. If their friends want to help them out, so what? If you don't want to give to them, don't. I'm not, but I don't have a problem if someone else wants to help them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend's house burned down. Luckily they were not home and their 2 kids were safe. The insurance immediatly put them up in short term housing and provided for incidentals...extra clothes, hair dryer, toilet paper, tampons, baby supplies. He husband was an elevator repair man and she was an admin, combined HHI, no more than 90K/yr. At the office we took a collection and she was very embarrassed to take it, insisting that the insurance was covering everything.

At the end of the day she actually made out with the insurance pay out. I too think the website is tacky, if only these people cared as much about the truly poor people who just live a few miles away in PG and DC. Reminds me of the story today about the Merril executive who had the audcity to request a 10mil bonus this year after recieving TARP funds. WTF???!!!

There sure is an awful lot of finger pointing going on in this thread. Maybe the family is embarrassed by the website. Maybe the people who started the website also donate a lot to the truly poor living a few miles away. How do you know they're not? It has nothing to do with an executive getting a 10 million dollar bonus.

The family lost a lot. If their friends want to help them out, so what? If you don't want to give to them, don't. I'm not, but I don't have a problem if someone else wants to help them.

So where is the website for the poor in DC that these grass roots fundraisers in this Bethesda neighborhood have put together? Oops, I guess there is none.

I agree though, it is quite probable that the family is not behind the site. All etiquette aside, it still is a nice gesture, no matter how myopic. I guess I've just known so many people in need and am a volunteer mentor to teens graduating out of the foster program being dumped into the real world, that I just cannot help, but think of all of the forgotten and marginalized people in our community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So where is the website for the poor in DC that these grass roots fundraisers in this Bethesda neighborhood have put together? Oops, I guess there is none.

I didn't say there was a website. I said they MIGHT be doing their part to help the poor. And made the point that you don't know, so why point the finger at them for not helping when you have no idea what kind of money the are donating to good causes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So where is the website for the poor in DC that these grass roots fundraisers in this Bethesda neighborhood have put together? Oops, I guess there is none.

I didn't say there was a website. I said they MIGHT be doing their part to help the poor. And made the point that you don't know, so why point the finger at them for not helping when you have no idea what kind of money the are donating to good causes.

Because this is what we DO on DCUM. New here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So where is the website for the poor in DC that these grass roots fundraisers in this Bethesda neighborhood have put together? Oops, I guess there is none.

I didn't say there was a website. I said they MIGHT be doing their part to help the poor. And made the point that you don't know, so why point the finger at them for not helping when you have no idea what kind of money the are donating to good causes.

Because this is what we DO on DCUM. New here?

No. And it's only what SOME people on DCUM do.

[Anonymous]

There is 7.9 percent unemployment in the District right now. Many many children have no warm clothing - and many of them don't have food either. One of the reasons that DC hesitates to close its schools in bad weather is because they give out so many free hot meals at school, and they know that children will not eat at all if they don't go to school.

Before I donated to this family, I would make an extra donation to local non-profits that help truly needy families - or to my fire department. Those guys are the only heroes in this story.

[Anonymous]

Think about it: the medical bills could be astronomical. They have three children in critical condition. Who knows what their deductible is or how much their insurance will cover. Or if they will have life-long medical problems (neurological, etc.). I live in a $650k house and my DH and I just barely make a 6 figure combined salary -- we aren't rich, but folks sometime makes cracks about us b/c of our fancy new house. Maybe they bought their house a long time ago -- possibly with help from parents who are no longer around -- or maybe they inherited it. Who knows. If they were truly wealthy, I don't think mom would be working. Bottom line: if you don't want to donate to the fund, then don't. And if the website bothers you then don't read it. These people have been through a horrible ordeal that is probably far from over. Good people would feel sorry for them, count their own blessings, and not be so mean-spirited and judgemental. (And yes, I do see the irony in the last line I just typed