Liz Smith | 10/28/2009 12:00 am

Liz Smith Knows Her Charities Help Actual People

In response to: Do you have evidence that the charities you support are really making a difference?

I know my charities help actual people or I wouldn’t keep doing them. I see the tangible safe housing in Brooklyn and the Bronx built for victims (mostly women and children) of domestic violence. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC keeps building these houses and they are just great. We have built three, we want to build more and Nicole Kidman and Mariska Hargitay are the generous chairs of this fund-raiser.

Oh yes, and we added the "Project Runway" star Tim Gunn to our roster this year. Crimes against women are legion and many are joining our fight to end them.

We have learning centers all over New York from Literacy Partners though we have a waiting list of 400 adults waiting to learn to read and we have had to close some of our centers. This is tragic evidence in itself that the economic recession hurts everyone.

I see what the money raised for the Police Athletic League does for the kids of New York, giving them mentors and places to go after school. These are just a few of the charities I raise money for. I never think any of the dough is misspent.

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Marvelous, Liz. Please continue to keep us aware of such charities. Many people do not know about them, or are in doubt about their money actually reaching people who need the services offered.

By Carole Del Monte on 10/28/2009 6:58 am

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Safe houses are a definite necessity today, I also trust anyone in an organization like Police, Military, etc. You can check out an organization to make sure they are living up to their promises. They have to make their reports available to the public yearly. As pointed out if you can’t give money ~ can you give time to a program such as teaching a person to read.

By Bonnie Schuster on 10/28/2009 7:23 am

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Thank you Ms. Smith…

I value your knowledge and thank you for the information, as I would like to work with your groups…

I also wonder if you saw CBS Sunday morning this week…apparently living artists are auctioning in the millions now. You can see the story here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/25/sunday/main5419088.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

I’ve always said that art is a valuable commodity that should be used to support needs of our people…that’s why it is a humanity.

I will be grateful when others see the value of that reality.

Amy, PennDragon Studios

simpletownUSA.com

By Amy Stewart Hale on 10/28/2009 12:20 pm

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Alas, when an artist donates her or his work to charity, our IRS policies in the US only allow her or him to deduct the cost of materials, not the value of the work.

Too often artists who are starving or close to it are getting requests for such donations. Many would like to oblige, but often they cannot afford to give up the return on the time and skills involved in producing the work.

A more reasonable tax policy would generate far more donations to charities, and reap greater rewards for those truly in need.

By ann penn on 10/28/2009 2:52 pm

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I completely agree Ms. Penn.

There are a few works I commit 100% of to charity.

I commit all of my work to contributing a minimum of 20% and when I show …a gallery will typically expect anywhere from 40-60% of my works profits.

I’m a small business …so I’m taxed on it all. I work to keep my overhead low. And I don’t skimp on materials, I sell directly to my clients/collectors because it’s better for my family and the groups I work to help.

I painted The Eagle for the People of my Nation… that work is far more than me, and my perception of the reality of that day coupled with how it’s hurt my Nation…

Pearl Harbor seems from a historical perspective to be a horrible tragedy that brought our People together…

…9/11 nearly tore us apart, and that isn’t fair to our People, I painted that work to remind us, that we are a United Nation of many Peoples with Liberties and Rights the perpetrators of that day could never understand…by their behavior to follow their leader to death for spoken words, and commands instead of the ideal we as a People work to achieve by reaching for our personal truths, and goals that make our dreams reality by the work we do.

What happened that day goes beyond ignorance and stupidity … As an artist, I documented our Strength. As a Human Being I documented Our Rights and Our Unity as a Nation of many nations and Ideals who know how to put aside our differences and live in truth.

Because of it’s importance to Our Nation, it belongs to Our Nation. …And will be auctioned for causes supporting the poorest of Our People…because in this darkness, we need to keep the light of our hopes alive.

Even when it’s hard for an artist who struggles at times to give up six documented weeks of my time, and the materials I used to create The Eagle.

Amy, PennDragon Studios

simpletownUSA.com

By Amy Stewart Hale on 10/30/2009 12:37 pm

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Literacy in my book, pardon the pun, is always at the top of the list when I have the time or the money to give. To teach someone to read is to give them the motivation to open a book and as they do so they open the door to opportunity for themselves. And for others. Few people realize how many extremely successful people in this country are also what is called functionally literate. That means they can fool people. Years ago I met a man who was a CEO of a successful corporation who was functionally literate. He had managed somehow to get through college and get a BA, just barely, and he built two companies from the ground up and the last one was sold to another company and he then became CEO of it. And yet for all intents and purposes he couldn’t read. He finally worked up the courage and made a phone call and learned to read. People find that difficult to believe. But it is the reality for quite a few Americans. And every book he has read since then, thousands, are always donated to a literacy organization. Along with a big check!

One of the sad realities, as you point out, is that literacy is often at the bottom of everyone else’s list. If they realized how important literacy is perhaps it would be at the top of everyone else’s list.

So many victims of domestic abuse/violence, for instance, don’t know where to turn to for help. They can’t read the posters.

By Baby Snooks on 10/28/2009 12:40 pm

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Exceptional point, Baby Snooks…

When I was in college, I was asked to design posters for The Atlanta Public Library pertaining to Literacy, as a project for class…and that was the question I struggled with.

In developing something to represent the concept of literacy to a non literate community…what I came up with was … "Understanding pictures through words…Literacy" …and went on to use powerful images to represent that.

Good analogy and a way to truly make a difference.

Amy, PennDragon Studios

By Amy Stewart Hale on 10/30/2009 12:49 pm

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He had managed somehow to get through college and get a BA, just barely, and he built two companies from the ground up and the last one was sold to another company and he then became CEO of it. And yet for all intents and purposes he couldn’t read.

That is often the case with all those successful dyslexic entrepreneurs. They tend to be team builders and delegate effectively.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/business/06dyslexia.html

By Lucinda Herbert on 11/04/2009 10:17 am