The little sewing rocker that just won't go away:
Apparently the little sewing rocker that lost its way is still making waves in Shoals area cyberspace. We originally had wanted simply to put a few things in perspective from both sides, but as more information has become available, it does seem that something is not right about Ups N Downs Thrift Store on Veterans Drive in Florence. We do want to stress that we have never met either party to this now resolved dispute, nor do we wish to from what we've seen this past week.
Yes, the charity is registered with the state as we previously mentioned. By the state, we mean the Office of the Secretary of State. Its board is mentioned there; however, we will not publish names of directors since one is a friend of ours and there's nothing that she can do immediately. We will publish the chief contact's name: Willson Jenkins. If you have questions, we suggest you contact Mr. Jenkins, whom we infer was not originally recruited out of the goodness of his heart as our friend was.
Now, some oddities: We've seen it published that the organization is not registered with the IRS. While we haven't found such a registration, we're not prepared to say there's not one. Many of the lists, such as ProPublica, end in 2014 and cover the previous year. Shoals Area Families Foundation was not established until June 2014.
We can say that the organization is not registered with the State Attorney General's office. That registration is needed before it can publicly solicit funds. In other words, if the foundation's founder wants to give a private party to solicit money, that's fine. What she can't do is publicly, as on the Internet, request funds/donations. We have been sent links to GoFundMe pages that are illegal as we understand it. If you're out for blood from this woman, you might want to start with the attorney general's office and go from there. Believe us, it will be quicker than reporting her to the IRS.
It would be good to remember that just because this woman seems to have been born with her foot in her mouth, it doesn't mean that everything she does is illegal. It would appear that she owns half a business not connected to Ups N Downs from which she obviously makes money, as well as being associated with other endeavors.
If anyone has copies of debits/charges on the Ups N Downs card made to liquor stores, as widely reported, please send us copies and we will publish them. Otherwise, we'll assume this is more idle gossip. It would also be good to remember that many, if not most, serve alcohol at charity parties, and this may be the case with Ups N Downs.
Let's hope this offers more effective measures to secure action than a one-day picket...
