THIS IS AMERICA - Charities in the United States Came to the

THIS IS AMERICA - Charities in the United States Came to the Rescue After Two Hurricanes
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, October 10, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Pat Bodner.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Charities collect money for purposes such as to help the sick and needy¹, and to support the arts. Americans gave record-high gifts to charities in two thousand four. But these organizations themselves face unusual need after two major hurricanes struck states along the Gulf² of Mexico.

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VOICE ONE:

Charities in America help provide money for everything from disease research to homeless animals. They raise money for everything from opera companies to summer camps for children.

This work is called philanthropy. The word comes from the Greek and Latin. It means love of humankind, especially as shown through an act like giving to charity. The United States has about one million two hundred thousand of these philanthropic organizations, including religious groups.

VOICE TWO:

A research report called Giving U.S.A. examined charity in the United States in two thousand four. Giving U.S.A. says American donors⁴, or people who gave, provided charities with nearly an estimated two hundred forty-nine thousand million dollars last year. That was an increase of five percent from the year before. Fifty-five percent of all the charities it studied received larger gifts than the year before.

Experts in money-raising praise the ability to make gifts electronically on the Internet computer system. They say it may be partly responsible for the increases.

It would seem that American charitable organizations are doing well. But two powerful hurricanes recently struck the United States. At least one thousand one hundred people lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Property damage from Katrina alone may be one hundred seventy thousand million dollars.

VOICE ONE:

 
Red Cross volunteers comforting a Hurricane Katrina evacuee⁵
Americans have given more than one thousand million dollars in aid for Hurricane Katrina. The American Red Cross received about eighty percent of these contributions, or gifts. But still, the Red Cross, the Salvation⁶ Army and other charities are feeling pressured. They helped people in a time of need. And now many of these organizations themselves are in need.

The Red Cross and other groups also served after four major hurricanes last year. The organizations are appealing to the public to help them recover financially.

The charities also face other hard questions about money after the recent storms. For example, should religious organizations receive government money for helping⁷ survivors⁸? Can money given for aid after one storm be used for another?

And, what is the future for smaller, local charities not involved with hurricane aid? Will they be able to continue serving their communities? Or will people give them less money this year?

VOICE TWO:

 
Vietnamese refugees take refuge from Hurricane Katrina in a convent
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, says it will repay religious organizations for sheltering and feeding survivors after the hurricanes. FEMA says it will do this with taxpayer⁹ money.

Critics immediately denounced FEMA's announcement. For example, the organization called Americans United for Separation of Church and State in Washington, D.C., says the Constitution bans such repayment¹⁰.

Some religious groups also disliked the idea. But other groups say they must take the money to continue operating.

VOICE ONE:

The American Red Cross supports FEMA's offer of assistance to religious groups. FEMA also helps the Red Cross. FEMA will give the organization one hundred million dollars as repayment for shelter services. The Red Cross says the money will pay the temporary housing expenses of survivors. Some are expected to stay in hotels until the end of this month.

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VOICE TWO:

Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Louisiana, and areas of Mississippi and Alabama on August twenty-ninth. New Orleans suffered severe flooding. The storm damaged barriers meant to keep out the water of Lake Pontchartrain.

Charity workers often arrived to help people much faster than government aid workers. Local religious groups aided Katrina victims when Red Cross and government workers could not enter affected¹¹ areas. Religious groups reportedly sheltered and fed a half-million people.

The religious charities also are doing this for people who fled Hurricane Rita. Rita struck September twenty-fourth. The storm caused widespread damage in parts of Texas and Louisiana. It hit some areas struck earlier by Hurricane Katrina.

VOICE ONE:

After Katrina struck, many people gave to charities to help after that hurricane. But soon afterward¹², aid was also needed for Rita survivors and rebuilding. This left charities questioning how to use donor³ money. Laws governing charitable gifts can mean that charities must spend money as the donor wishes.

 
Hurricane Katrina victims lined up for Red Cross relief funds
The Red Cross says it will honor donor requests. So does a special campaign led by two former United States presidents. A statement by George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton makes clear that money already collected for Hurricane Katrina will go to Katrina aid.

Some groups are asking donors to let them choose how to use the money.

VOICE TWO:

After Americans have given so much to hurricane aid, some local charities worry that their usual donors will have little money left for them.

For example, the Denver Rescue Mission in Colorado is a human services agency. Experts say such agencies are among the most financially threatened. The organization shelters many thousands of people in a year. It serves three meals every day. It has apartments for families who have lost their homes. Most are single mothers. The Denver Rescue Mission helps the sick and people physically¹³ dependent on alcohol and illegal drugs.

Mission official Greta Ritchey says she is happy that people have reacted so well to appeals for hurricane aid. Still, she also worries that the agency will not get enough contributions to support its nineteen-million-dollar budget.

VOICE ONE:

But an expert in charitable contributions says gifts will return to normal after a while. Hank Goldstein is chairman of the Giving U.S.A. Foundation. Mister Goldstein said some gift reduction is normal after a terrible event.

He noted¹⁴ that the amount received for Katrina aid is less than one percent of the total received by charities in America last year.

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VOICE TWO:

The organization Giving U.S.A. has reported on charity donations for fifty years. Eugene Tempel heads the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, where the Giving U.S.A. report is produced.

Mister Tempel said religious organizations received the largest contributions in two thousand four. People gave these groups more than eighty-eight thousand million dollars. Educational centers received the next largest gifts last year. Donors gave them thirty-four thousand million dollars.

VOICE ONE:

Giving U.S.A. says gifts from individuals provided the most money to charity in two thousand four. It says about seventy to eighty percent of Americans contribute to at least one charity each year. Some people give to a cooperative charity campaign at their workplaces. For example, the Combined Federal Campaign in the government helps many philanthropic agencies.

C. Ray Clements is head of the American Association of Fundraising Counsel. Mister Clements said people who left directions for gifts before they died provided the second largest contributions. These gifts are known as bequests¹⁵. Next came charitable organizations called foundations. Businesses held fourth place.

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VOICE TWO:

Some Americans take part in philanthropy by performing service to others. For example, many people not connected with charities or the government took supplies to storm survivors.

Historian Douglas Brinkley and actor Sean Penn helped search for survivors in the flooded streets of New Orleans.

American writer John Grisham and his wife Renee established an organization to help rebuild homes destroyed by the storms. Their foundation is called Rebuild the Coast.

VOICE ONE:

Children helped, too. Young people in many places in America collected gifts and supplies for students made homeless by the storms.

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VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson. Caty Weaver¹⁶ was our producer. I'm Steve Ember

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Pat Bodner. Please join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 evacuee   

n.被疏散的人员，被撤走的人员

参考例句：

• A woman sits motionless at an evacuee center for leaked radiation from the damaged fukushima nuclear facilities friday march 25 2011 in soma fukushima prefecture japan.2011年3月25日星期五，日本福岛县相马市，为福岛核设施泄露而设立的避难中心里，一位妇女一动不动地坐在那里。
• Not quite true,said Tom,a 42-year-old evacuee.但汤姆，一位42岁的避难者，说事实不尽然如此。

6 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

9 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

10 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

13 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 bequests   

n.遗赠( bequest的名词复数 )；遗产，遗赠物

参考例句：

• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He left bequests of money to all his friends. 他留下一些钱遗赠给他所有的朋友。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。