St. Christopher's

Last year we stayed home because my daugher had her wisdom teeth out, but this year we are back at St. Christopher's on Seabrook Island near Charleston for Thanksgiving. Lots of walking on the beach

and I got in a lovely 34 mile bike ride this morning

before the rain came in.

hard times

So much pain these days even in my little world. Among people I am closely connected to, one person's business is failing and he may have to declare bankrupcy, another's husband was just laid off, another's husband is working for a month and a half without pay. Still no word on what is going to happen to the program I run. So far we have been hit with a five day mandatory furlough (leave without pay) for all university employees. There was a story in the Boston Globe last weekend (when I was there) about what a depression would look like in today's world. My daughter read it, wanting to know how she might be affected. I do hear that applications are up almost 5% at my university--students deciding to stay in state.

change

Yesterday and today a song has been running through my head:

Oh Mary don't you weep, don't you mourn
Oh Mary don't you weep, don't you mourn
Pharoah's army got drownded
Oh Mary don't you weep.

I'm thinking maybe it is a political comment.

diabetes charities

I don't support the American Diabetes Association because they give too much outdated advice (for better information see Blood Sugar 101). But these figures from David Mendosa are interesting:

Of funds that the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation raises, in fact 92.2 percent goes to program services and only 6.5 percent for fund raising. Its highest paid officer earned $93,221 in the most recent year for which data are available.

The ADA by comparison puts 76.2 percent of the funds that it raises into programs, spending 20.2 percent of its income on fund raising. The ADA rewarded its CEO with a salary of $383,843 in the most recent year for which data are available.

The JDRF comes close to the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation in the percentage that goes to program services, 86.1 percent and in the small amount for fund raising, 6.7 percent. However, its CEO is certainly well compensated, taking home $616,875 in the most recent year for which data are available.

The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation has good fund-raising numbers too. Of the funds that it raises 83.2 percent goes to program services and only 11.1 percent to fund raising. Its CEO did earn a handsome $446,373 in the most recent year for which data are available.

The Joslin Diabetes Center used 80.2 percent of the funds raised for program services and only 4.9 percent for fund raising. Great numbers. But it also paid its top people awfully well, one of them taking home $660,569 in the most recent year for which data are available.