Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Oh, the Palm Beaches

I won tickets to go to a Mayor's Ball, a charity event that supports the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County. My friends and I were very excited to have the chance to meet some of the most rich and powerful people in the county. But then we missed cocktail hour and therefore missed all of the networking possibilities. 

Mayor's Ball Fundraiser Poses Test for Ethics Rules
This article came out the following day. The Sentinel is basically calling the Homeless Coalition out for hosting an event that seemed to have more to do with money and power than it did the cause.

"It's another opportunity for those in power and those who want to water at their trough to congregate for their mutual benefit," Finkelstein said. "Everybody in that room is looking to see how it can benefit them."


Even I will admit that I wanted to to water at the trough! 


"To avoid concerns about people trying to buy influence or pay for access to public officials, potential donors and the event planners could just give money directly to helping the homeless, according Finkelstein."

But, Mr. Finkelstien, the event did raise more than what was donated, so it wasn't all bad. The event raised some serious money for the Coalition. 

I am thankful that the Sentinel is here as a democratic voice, questioning the motives of our elected officials. 



The Mayor and I!
It makes me wonder, are fundraisers like this a good way to raise money for non-profits? Are they really raising awareness and creating effective change in the area? Or is it more about publicity and politics? Is the Homeless Coalition listening to the voices of the 1,600 homeless students of the PBC public schools? Will the $250,000 raised actually cause change in the community? Or is the Coalition more concerned about being a place for the rich and powerful of Palm Beach County to throw there weight around? Or is this just the easiest way to find funding? 

The county has a goal to end homelessness in 10 years. This cannot be done inside the walls of the Grand Ball Room. This cannot be done by dressing it up or ignoring it all together. This can only be done if we begin to recognize that every human being deserves access to basic human rights, and that if we are to give this access everyone has to share a piece of the pie. This can only be accomplished if we talk about how the system is flawed, how there are laws in place that have created institutionalized poverty. 

I have been to the Lewis Center, the homeless shelter that benefits from this function, it's a a large new building, but there is no life there. What I see lacking in this organization is community. Without community inside the organization, how can you create change outside of the organization? Homelessness is not a pretty issue, but if the wealthiest people in the United States would start to realize that it is not about the thousands of dollars that they can throw at charities, it is about listening to the needs of our neighbors and meeting those needs while assisting each person to grow individually. It's about forming stronger communities. (This won't be an anti-capitalist rant...)


I know I am vague and idealistic, the reality is that non-profits don't have much choice when it comes to finding funding. The Sentinel can question the motives and the ethics all they want, and the motives may need to be questioned, but at the end of the night the money is in the bank. I work for a non-profit that focuses mainly on grant writing, which is time consuming and very competitive.  Another flaw in the system: The way we think about charities is dead wrong. 




Overall the night was uneventful, we sat with the other contest winners and ate our dinners. I felt like I had tried so hard to look beautiful and classy.
The young millionaires of Palm Beach made it seem so effortless, just another day in their glamorous life.  I spent half of my two week stipend to only to feel that I will never leave my servant status (not that I mind), and that history really does repeat itself. 


I appreciate the efforts of the Homeless Coalition. 
We have a long way to go.


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