Sexual harassment, or harassment of veterans? You decide.
A volunteer who runs the clothing room (Who we will call SAM for this posting, but whose real name is being withheld for privacy reasons), has brought charges of Sexual Harrassment against one of the members. Ive mentioned Fred, in the blog post "GRH4V is stealing from veterans on 8/17/2011. Fred is a Vietnam veteran who is suffering from agent orange. He can barley walk, or stand. He usually rides around in a 3 wheeled scooter.
Apparently at Karaoke held on Sunday nights, he and SAM danced 2 weeks ago, and it is being reported that she now claims he sexually harassed her by trying to caress one of her breasts. However, it is also being reported that the administration here has looked at the video camera footage of the security camera and has cleared Fred of wrong doing.
But apparently SAM and Husband are pursuing this issue by hiring a private attorney to prosecute it. As such the administration wants to move Fred out of the home, and has told him not to go to events where SAM is.
Now SAM is a volunteer, and according to the volunteer handbook, they are not to be lingering around after their volunteer stuff is done.
Yet SAM Signs in as a volunteer and goes to Karaoke, and Guitars for Veterans class on a weekly basis. Her lap dog, Dave Zimmerman, one of the members here, is usually with her and sometimes her husband is also with her. Now for a while there, Dave Zimmerman had his nose stuck so far up the hind end of SAM, many people did not know where she left off and he began, as they were always together.
Tonight we had a special event. Chari Miles, a country and blues singer came to sing for the veterans. It is being reported that Fred showed up, and Dave Zimmerman told him to leave or he would get security, because Fred was advised by the Administration to stay away from SAM.
First, Dave Zimmerman is not the police nor has any administrative authority, so he should shut the he** up. Second, there is no court order forbidding Fred from attending activities FOR VETERANS. And third, this is his home, SAM is the guest here and she is not following the rules established for volunteers. Furthermore her actions with other vets, indicates she is having personal contact with them that may be inappropriate.
Fred is extremely upset, and is under emotional duress.
If this continues, a possible counter suit will be filed against SAM, naming Dave as a co-defendant, for harassing other veterans and for creating a hostile environment.
Why should one of the Veterans have to avoid going to activities which are held for VETERANS, so that a volunteer can come in and enjoy the activity without actually working it? These things are not being done for the benefit of the volunteers.
So who is being harassed here? SAM The Volunteer, or Fred the Veteran?
Friday, January 6, 2012
Grand Rapids Home for Veterans: Crime in Progress, part 13
Can you say Misappropriation, or Embezzlement? Because that is what is going on at GRH4V.
Seems one of the volunteer organizations were asked to provide 530 dollars, for 53, 10 dollar gift cards, for Non-income veterans who were in the Rankin unit. Many of these veterans have applied for disability and are waiting for their claim paperwork to be completed.
Well, the organization that Jackie and Jill belong to, wrote out a check for 530 dollars and it was given to GRH4V 2 weeks before Christmas. Guess what? The vets never got it.
And we found out that the money was supposed to have been deposited into our member bank accounts, like it was last year. (It was?!) I never got it last year and I was here.
Well Jackie and Jill found out that not only was the money not given to the Veterans, but that there are now 35 not 53 members who are non-income people.
Jackie and Jill asked them why they asked for the money before Christmas, if they had no intention of giving it to the veterans at Christmas?. The reply was that they got too busy. Well, now it is being told that other veterans did not get their 10 bucks last year either.
AND, now the home is telling Jackie and Jill that this next Tuesday, 10 Jan 2012, the Rankin building members of Ranking 2 and 3, (ambulatory people) will be given BRAND NEW CLOTHING from the homes clothing store (stuff that is donated), and those who are Non-income will be given 15 dollars cash.
The Clothing store, (as we call it) is donated clothing for all veterans here at the home. And they are currently moving locations within a building from the NCO Club back to their original location, now that renovations have been completed. They expect to reopen it some time in late February.
Well, a lot of clothing and supplies from that area are being shipped off campus. We don't know where the donated stuff is going.
And Jackie and Jill are very upset that the money they raised was not given to the veterans.
And if the veterans do not get their money on Tuesday, criminal charges will be filed.
Basically, someone got caught doing what has been going on here for over 5 years - misappropriation of funds, re-routing of funds, and donated items not getting to the people for whom they were intended for.
They call that embezzlement.
Well, the veterans did get the money Jackie and Jill donated. But instead of 53 non-income vets, there were 35. So each vet got 15 dollars. And new clothing that had been donated was also made available, but most of it did not fit, and was too small for the veterans. But at least we got the 15 dollars.
Update Feb 14, 2012
I heard this from 2 groups of people. The first group was the 2 gals, Jackie and Jill and the 2nd was from volunteers from another veterans organization. It seems this other organization was also approached at the same time Jackie and Jills organization was, and it too was asked to make a donation for Christmas for the non-income veterans on Rankin 2 and 3. Well those veterans never got that money. When the issue was pressed, the home said the money was used to buy gifts for those veterans and those gifts were given to the vets the same day they collected their 15 dollars, which was donated by Jackie and Jill's group.
What gifts? WE never got any gifts at Christmas other than the usual stuff. And when we FINALLY got the money the girls donated, (after Christmas), we were also offered some new clothing that we knew had been DONATED.
Now this other group is pushing for an investigation of where their donation went to.
It is clear to me, that we have now shown, that the home as a policy, takes money and donations for veterans, and never gives it to them, but instead uses it for other things. This to me, is plain embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.
Seems one of the volunteer organizations were asked to provide 530 dollars, for 53, 10 dollar gift cards, for Non-income veterans who were in the Rankin unit. Many of these veterans have applied for disability and are waiting for their claim paperwork to be completed.
Well, the organization that Jackie and Jill belong to, wrote out a check for 530 dollars and it was given to GRH4V 2 weeks before Christmas. Guess what? The vets never got it.
And we found out that the money was supposed to have been deposited into our member bank accounts, like it was last year. (It was?!) I never got it last year and I was here.
Well Jackie and Jill found out that not only was the money not given to the Veterans, but that there are now 35 not 53 members who are non-income people.
Jackie and Jill asked them why they asked for the money before Christmas, if they had no intention of giving it to the veterans at Christmas?. The reply was that they got too busy. Well, now it is being told that other veterans did not get their 10 bucks last year either.
AND, now the home is telling Jackie and Jill that this next Tuesday, 10 Jan 2012, the Rankin building members of Ranking 2 and 3, (ambulatory people) will be given BRAND NEW CLOTHING from the homes clothing store (stuff that is donated), and those who are Non-income will be given 15 dollars cash.
The Clothing store, (as we call it) is donated clothing for all veterans here at the home. And they are currently moving locations within a building from the NCO Club back to their original location, now that renovations have been completed. They expect to reopen it some time in late February.
Well, a lot of clothing and supplies from that area are being shipped off campus. We don't know where the donated stuff is going.
And Jackie and Jill are very upset that the money they raised was not given to the veterans.
And if the veterans do not get their money on Tuesday, criminal charges will be filed.
Basically, someone got caught doing what has been going on here for over 5 years - misappropriation of funds, re-routing of funds, and donated items not getting to the people for whom they were intended for.
They call that embezzlement.
Well, the veterans did get the money Jackie and Jill donated. But instead of 53 non-income vets, there were 35. So each vet got 15 dollars. And new clothing that had been donated was also made available, but most of it did not fit, and was too small for the veterans. But at least we got the 15 dollars.
Update Feb 14, 2012
I heard this from 2 groups of people. The first group was the 2 gals, Jackie and Jill and the 2nd was from volunteers from another veterans organization. It seems this other organization was also approached at the same time Jackie and Jills organization was, and it too was asked to make a donation for Christmas for the non-income veterans on Rankin 2 and 3. Well those veterans never got that money. When the issue was pressed, the home said the money was used to buy gifts for those veterans and those gifts were given to the vets the same day they collected their 15 dollars, which was donated by Jackie and Jill's group.
What gifts? WE never got any gifts at Christmas other than the usual stuff. And when we FINALLY got the money the girls donated, (after Christmas), we were also offered some new clothing that we knew had been DONATED.
Now this other group is pushing for an investigation of where their donation went to.
It is clear to me, that we have now shown, that the home as a policy, takes money and donations for veterans, and never gives it to them, but instead uses it for other things. This to me, is plain embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.
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