I can be reached at (212) 416-8402 if you have any questions. I look forward to continuing to work with you during these challenging times. ason R. Lilien Charities Bureau Chief 120 BROADWAY, NEWYORK, NY 10271 0 PHONE (212) 416-8400 0 FAX (212) 416-8393 FOIL 140088 000046 STATE OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC T. SCHNEIDERMAN DAVID NACHMAN GENERAL ENFORCEMENT SECTION CHIEF CHARITIES BUREAU (212) 416-8390 October 23, 2013 Gail McGovern Chief Executive Officer American Red Cross 2015 Street Washington, DC 20006 Dear Ms. McGovern: Hurricane Sandy struck the Eastern seaboard on October 29, 2012, causing major devastation loss of life, billions of dollars in damage and continuing hardships for thousands of families and communities in New York and other states. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, generous donors have contributed millions of dollars to organizations large and small to assist in the relief efforts. As you know, the Charities Bureau of the Office of the Attorney General has been monitoring the fundraising and disbursement of funds for Hurricane Sandy relief. As part of this effort, the OAG has sought information from approximately 90 nonpro?t organizations engaged in Hurricane Sandy fundraising and relief activities, including the American Red Cross. Consistent with its Congressionally-chartered mission to provide humanitarian disaster relief in the United States, the American Red Cross has taken an extensive and leading role in the immediate and longer-term Sandy recovery efforts. The Red Cross has reported receiving the highest amount of Sandy?related contributions from the public. The OAG is pleased to note that as we near the one-year anniversary of Sandy?s landfall, the Red Cross has spent or committed the overwhelming majority of these funds. Together with other charities, the Red Cross provided an effective way for New Yorkers and all Americans to express their kindness, compassion, and generosity in the aftermath of Sandy. These donations made the response to this disaster possible, and we are grateful to all those who donated. The OAG appreciates the Red Cross?s extraordinary efforts in assisting those affected by Hurricane Sandy, and that it is committed to being a leader in the charitable industry regarding transparency with donors and honoring donor intent. To provide additional relief to Sandy victims and further promote transparency, the OAG and the Red Cross have engaged in 120 Broadway, Charities Bureau, New York, NY 10271 - (212) 416-8401 Fax (212) 416-8393 FOIL 140088 000047 Gail McGovern October 23, 2013 Page 2 constructive, collaborative discussions, focusing on three areas: the Red Cross?s allocation and disbursement of Hurricane Sandy relief funds; the implementation of its Move?In Assistance Program; and the measures taken by the Red Cross generally in the wake of major disasters to ensure that donors? intent with respect to the uses of their contributions are honored and to provide transparency about such uses. This letter sets forth the steps the Red Cross already has taken, and the additional steps the Red Cross will take going forward, in each of these areas. Hurricane Sandy Relief Funds The Red Cross has reported that from October 28, 2012 through September 20, 2013, it received $196 million in funds speci?cally designated for Hurricane Sandy relief or in response to a Hurricane Sandy?specif1c solicitation (?Sandy Restricted Funds?). The Red Cross also reported that, in addition to the Sandy Restricted Funds, the Red Cross received donations restricted to Disaster Relief through a variety of fundraising channels. In response to an OAG request, the Red Cross reported that, from those donations restricted to Disaster Relief, it took the extra step of allocating an additional $112 million specifically to Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery activities, despite the fact that Hurricane Sandy was not the only disaster occurring in this country at the time. The additional $112 million consisted of all of the funds donated online and via phone to Disaster Relief from October 28, 2012 through November 26, 2012, all funds donated via text message to Disaster Relief from October 28, 2012 through December 31, 2012, and all funds donated via check or wire to Disaster Relief in response to a direct mail solicitation referencing Hurricane Sandy. The total amount allocated to date by the Red Cross to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, therefore, is $308 million, consisting of $196 million in Sandy Restricted Funds and an additional $112 million in donations restricted to Disaster Relief that were allocated by the Red Cross to Sandy. To date, the Red Cross has spent or committed over 90% of the funds it has allocated to Hurricane Sandy ($280 million) to speci?c programs and relief efforts, an increase of $88 million over the $192 million spent or committed that was reported by the Red Cross to the OAG in April 2013. With these funds, the American Red Cross reports that it deployed 17,000 trained disaster workers, and provided more than 7 million relief items and over 17.5 million meals to those affected up and down the East Coast. In New York specifically, the American Red Cross reports that it served more than 7 million meals and snacks to individuals and families affected by Sandy and provided another 6.4 million meals through local food banks. Since last October, the American Red Cross has also provided more than 74,000 overnight stays and provided emotional support and health services for over 100,000 people in need. The American Red Cross continues to provide case management, ?nancial assistance and grant-making during the subsequent recovery period. The OAG is pleased that the Red Cross has spent or committed the overwhelming majority of the funds raised to date, and that there remain funds to address the continuing needs of families and communities affected by Sandy. Indeed, one year later, the needs of Sandy survivors are still significant. As further described below, the OAG and the Red Cross have identified certain unmet needs, and will continue to work together over the next several months to identify additional unmet needs, to which the Red Cross has agreed to commit $10 million FOIL 140088 000048 Gail McGovern October 23, 2013 Page 3 from a combination of new and existing funds. The existing funds consist of the approximately $28 million that the Red Cross has allocated to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts that remain uncommitted. Over and above these existing funds, the Red Cross has agreed to commit an additional $6 million to Sandy relief efforts, raising its total allocation to Sandy relief and recovery efforts to $314 million. The Red Cross will spend or grant the uncommitted portion of these funds, now totaling $34 million, to address the unmet needs of those affected by Hurricane Sandy as soon as practicable, as Well as develop a plan to address those needs over the next six months. It is anticipated that this $34 million will be spent primarily on housing-related needs and additional grants. Working with the OAG, the Red Cross already has identified certain outstanding needs of communities and individuals still affected by Hurricane Sandy, which the Red Cross agrees to fund as follows: 1. Direct Assistance: The Red Cross has committed $1 million to support families currently living in hotels after federal and New York City authorities ended funding for such temporary housing. These funds, which will come from newly allocated Sandy relief funds, are supporting families who have either already identified a permanent apartment, will soon be moving into a permanent apartment or have been found eligible for permanent housing. The Red Cross is covering the costs for these families to continue living in hotels for up to four months. 2. Renters? Assistance Program: The Red Cross also will commit $3 million in newly allocated funds to a New York City organized renters? assistance program that aids those New Yorkers affected by Hurricane Sandy who are otherwise ineligible for federal assistance programs. 3. Move-In Assistance Program: To date, the Red Cross has expended approximately $15 million of the $20 million it committed to its Move-In Assistance Program, which provides housing-related financial assistance primarily to New York and New Jersey residents affected by Hurricane Sandy. In connection with the steps further described below, from funds previously allocated to Sandy relief, the Red Cross will commit to spend an additional $4 million beyond the $20 million previously spent or set aside for this program. Should any funds committed to address these housing-related needs remain unspent, such monies will be used for other Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts in New York. In addition, over the next several months, and as part of its broader relief and recovery expenditures, the Red Cross and the OAG will work together to identify additional local Sandy-related needs to which the Red Cross agrees to commit $2 million of newly allocated Sandy relief funds. Move-In Assistance Program One of the Hurricane Sandy programs created by the Red Cross is the Move-In Assistance Program which provides ?nancial assistance for a range of housing- related expenses. The OAG has received complaints regarding eligibility criteria and FOIL 140088 000049 Gail McGovern October 23, 2013 Page 4 administration of MIAP, including that people have not received ?nancial assistance to which they claim to be entitled. To address these concerns, the Red Cross is taking the following steps: 1. The Red Cross will review the cases of New York households who were not on EMA lists, but who contacted or were referred to the Red Cross and have not yet received MIAP ?nancial assistance. To the extent the Red Cross determines that any of these households are eligible for MIAP assistance, the Red Cross will providethat household with ?nancial assistance consistent with the MIAP guidelines. Where a household is not provided with ?nancial assistance through MIAP, Red Cross caseworkers will make every effort to assist the household to the maximum extent possible, including where appropriate through referrals to other partners and organizations to address their Hurricane Sandy-related needs. The Red Cross will continue to provide written criteria for MIAP eligibility to all caseworkers and will provide such criteria to all applicants who request it. The Red Cross will honor all assurances of MIAP assistance that it reasonably determines were previously made by Red Cross case workers. The Red Cross will also continue to study MIAP to create a set of best practices for use in the implementation of similar programs in connection with future disasters, and the Red Cross will share these best practices with the OAG. Transparency in the Wake of Maior Disasters As Hurricane Sandy approached, and in its aftermath, the Red Cross issued fundraising appeals that made reference to Hurricane Sandy (or to ?Superstorm Sandy?). In addition, in coordination with the Red Cross, third parties issued appeals on its behalf, asking the public to donate funds to the Red Cross to aid those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. These fundraising appeals were made by a variety of means, as follows: 1. Online: One of the primary means the Red Cross solicits and raises funds is through its website, At all relevant times, the main ?donate? page on the Red Cross?s website (the ?donation landing page?) featured three funds to which donors could contribute: (1) Disaster Relief; (2) Where the Need is Greatest; and (3) Your Local Red Cross Chapter. From November 2 through November 26, 2012, the ?Disaster Relief? section of the donation landing page featured the text: ?You can help people affected by disasters like Superstorm Sandy by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief.? Telephone: From November 1, 2012 through November 14, 2012, telephone operators working at the Red Cross?s year?round donation call center used a script that said, in part, ?Your support is very important to the recovery efforts in the aftennath of Hurricane Sandy?? FOIL 140088 000050 Gail McGovern October 23, 2013 Page 5 3. Telethons: On November 2, 2012, NBC 4 and on November 5, 2012, ABC each sponsored a telethon for Sandy Relief, with proceeds going to the Red Cross for Sandy relief efforts. 4. Text: Donors were informed that they could text to 90999 to donate to Disaster Relief. 5. Third Party PSAS and advertising: Numerous third parties ran public service announcements on television, radio and other advertising venues, asking for donations to the Red Cross for Sandy relief, and providing the address for the Red Cross website, the Red Cross?s 800 number, or providing instructions on how to direct donations to the Red Cross by text message. The Red Cross provides suggested language for PSAS on its website. Following Hurricane Sandy, third parties also advertised on behalf of the Red Cross using banners provided by the Red Cross on its website. The Red Cross agrees that the uses to which funds donated in the wake of a disaster, and in particular in the wake of any major disaster that is speci?cally mentioned in the Red Cross?s national fundraising campaigns carried out by or on behalf of the Red Cross (a ?major disaster?), must be made as transparent as possible. Consistent with its past practices, all donations made by telephone or text in response to Red Cross solicitations or appeals that refer to a particular major disaster will continue to be allocated to that major disaster. Similarly, all donations made in response to a telethon appeal that refers to a particular major disaster will continue to be allocated to that major disaster. The American Red Cross presently undertakes an extensive number of actions to communicate with donors and confirm their intentions. Working together, the OAG and the Red Cross have determined that transparency and awareness for online donors would be assisted with the following language on the donation landing page on the Red Cross?s website: l. To avoid potential confusion that online donations on redcross.org will be used for a speci?c disaster, the Red Cross will omit any reference to a specific disaster in the online disaster relief solicitation language on the donation landing page. 2. For donors who wish to designate their donation to disaster relief for the tens of thousands of disasters to which the Red Cross responds every year, the Red Cross will use the language: ?Disaster Relief Help people a?ected by disasters big and small. 3. For donors who wish to designate their donation to the Red Cross?s general fund, the Red Cross will use the language: ?Where It Is Needed Most Support all the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross.? During a major disaster, the Red Cross will use the language: ?Where It Is Needed Mos*t Support all the humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross.? 4. For donors who wish to designate their donation to their local community, the Red Cross will use the language: ?Local Red Cross Provide for local Red Cross programs and .s'ervices in your community.? FOIL 140088 000051 Gail McGovern October 23, 2013 Page 6 5. The website?s main donation page will also include an expanded ability for online donors to make restricted donations to a speci?c cause. Online donors who wish to restrict their donation to a more speci?c cause will be directed to a mail-in form, which will allow them to designate to a speci?c cause by check. This form will also provide donors the opportunity to con?rm that they would like their donation used for disaster relief generally in the circumstance that donations cannot be used as designated and/or the Red Cross has determined that donations would exceed expenses for that speci?c disaster. Alternatively, donors will have the option of electing to have their check returned to them. The Red Cross also recognizes the importance of advising the public when its fundraising needs for a major disaster have been met. In the case of all major disasters, the Red Cross will conduct a periodic assessment to determine whether it will no longer actively raise funds for that disaster and/or that it has received donations designated for that disaster that exceed its anticipated expenses for the disaster. Within two days of affirmatively making that determination, the Red Cross will cease all references to the disaster in all of its own fundraising solicitations, including in the scripts used by its telephone operators, and communicate to its partners that they must immediately discontinue the use of the disaster- speci?c fundraising solicitation language previously furnished by Red Cross, and provide them with revised fundraising guidance and/or substitute materials that can be used instead. In addition, the Red Cross will continue to issue public stewardship reports following major disasters. These stewardship reports will summarize service delivery statistics, progress of recovery, partnerships, personal stories and ?nancial information from that particular disaster, speci?cally including tallies of funds raised as well as funds spent and committed. These reports will be available to the public on redcross.org and will be issued on approximately the one, three, six month and one year anniversary of the disaster, provided however, that the Red Cross will in all cases issue a stewardship report, or make similar disclosure, within one month of making a determination that it will no longer actively raise funds for a particular major disaster and/or that it has received donations designated for that disaster that exceed its anticipated expenses for the disaster, and clearly state in the report that it has made such a determination. The OAG _and the Red Cross are both committed to transparency in the giving and spending of charitable funds. In furtherance of that goal, the Red Cross will continue its current practice of conducting internal review/lessons learned sessions and internal audits after every major disaster to evaluate the relief and recovery response and plan for the future. Moreover, in light of evolving technologies and other potential changes in the fundraising arena, the OAG and the Red Cross will engage in continued dialogue, as necessary, regarding the ef?cacy of the provisions contained herein, any necessary modi?cations to these terms, and/or additional provisions that will further promote transparency, donor awareness, and the ability to respond to disasters. The OAG looks forward to working cooperatively with the Red Cross on all matters discussed herein and that may hereafter arise. FOIL 140088 000052 Gail McGovern October 23, 2013 Page 7 The OAG and the Red Cross recognize and acknowledge that the Red Cross is represented by counsel and has received independent legal advice with respect to the advisability of signing this agreement. The Red Cross represents and warrants that the terms of this agreement are duly approved, and execution of this agreement is duly authorized. By signing below, the Red Cross?s representative is representing to the OAG that she has full authority on behalf of the Red Cross to execute this agreement and bind the Red Cross to the terms thereof. The OAG and the Red Cross acknowledge that the acceptance of this agreement does not constitute its approval of any of the practices or procedures referenced herein. Please acknowledge the Red Cross?s agreement and acceptance of the terms speci?ed in this letter agreement by signing below and returning the signed copy to me. Sincerely, David E. Nac an Enforcement Section Chief Charities Bureau Accepted and Agreed: The American Red Cross Gail McGoverh Chief Executive Of?cer FOIL 140088 000053 ?l 1, STATE OF EW YORK OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC T. SCHNEIDERMAN Attorney Gencm] Chantles Bureau Chief November 27, 2012 Gail J. McGovern President and CEO American Red Cross 2025 Street Washington, DC 20006 Dear Ms. McGovern: In the weeks since Hurricane Sandy battered the Atlantic seaboard and caused unprecedented devastation in New York, donors across America and the world have contributed millions of dollars to the American Red Cross to help victims rebuild their lives. I know that New Yorkers are grateful for the generous support they are receiving in this time of need. Consistent with the Attorney General's responsibility to oversee charitable activities and ?mdraising in New York, we are requesting information about the American Red Cross's ?mdraising and relief efforts. Press reports indicate that the American Red Cross has raised over $145 million in response to Hurricane Sandy, more than any other relief organization. In light of the enormous amount raised in such a short period of time, and with donations still to come, it is important that donors remain con?dent that their contributions are helping victims as quickly and effectively as possible. In particular, we want to ensure that donors understand how their money is being used, and whether funds given for Hurricane Sandy relief are in fact being used for that purpose. In this regard, it is unclear from your website and public solicitations whether the funds donated to the American Red Cross in response to the storm will be restricted to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Also, it is unclear whether the millions of dollars raised via text messages for the American Red Cross will be used solely for Hmricane Sandy relief. To promote transparency and encourage further giving, we request that you provide responses to the questions in the attached document. We fully understand that FOIL 140088 000054 you are currently responding to one of the largest natural disasters in United States history, and do not want to disuact you from your efforts. We have therefore limited our questions to those you can and easily answer and which will help inform the public at this stage of the relief efforts. In the coming weeks and months, we expect to reach out to you for additional information, including more detailed information about how donations have been expended and the steps taken to prevent fraud and/or misuse of resources. Please email your responses by December 11, 2012 to sandyresponse@ag.ny. gov. I can reached at (212) 416-8402 if there are any questions. We look forward to working with you in these challenging times. Sincerely, Jason R. Lilien Charities Bureau Chief FOIL 140088 000055 New York State Of?ce of the Attorney General Charities Bureau Hurricane Sandy Relief Information . What is the approximate dollar amount of donations and pledges that the American Red Cross has received to date in response to Hurricane Sandy? . Will these funds be used solely for Hmricane Sandy relief?? If not, approximately what portion will be used for Hurricane Sandy relief and what other purposes will funds be used for? . Approximately how much has the American Red Cross spent to date on Hurricane Sandy relief? . What services has the American Red Cross provided to those affected by Hurricane Sandy? What populations or geographical areas are being served by the American Red Cross in response to Hurricane Sandy? What services does the American Red Cross expect to provide in the future? . Has the American Red Cross provided ?mding to other organizations for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts? If so, which organizations have received funds from the American Red Cross and what is the approximate dollar has provided to them? How does the American Red Cross determine the need for ?mding? FOIL 140088 000056 Has the American Red Cross provided, or does it intend to provide, direct ?nancial assistance to individuals, families or businesses for Hurricane Sandy relief?? If so, what is the approximate dollar amount that the American Red Cross has provided to date and approximately how much direct assistance does it expect to provide in the future? How does the American Red Cross determine the need for assistance? 7. Does the American Red Cross have a plan in place on how to use any surplus funds not spent for Hurricane Sandy relief?? Ifso, please describe that plan. 8. Will all donations received via text message since October 29, 2012 be used solely for Hurricane Sandy relief? If not, please explain how such ?mds will be used. 9. Will all the donations and pledges made through the November 2, 2012 telethon sponsored by NBC Universal be used solely for Hurricane Sandy relief?? If not, please explain how such funds will be used. 10. Will the American Red Cross be providing any long-tenn assistance to victims of Hurricane Sandy, i.e. services beyond the distribution of meals and emergency relief supplies and the provision of emergency shelter? If so, please describe the assistance. Name and title of representative Date Please email this docmnent with your responses to sandyrespog?agny. gov by December 1 1, 2012. You may obtain an electronic copy of this document by emailing a request to that same address. FOIL 140088 000057 From: Sent: To: Subject: Good afternoon: Today we received a letter to Ms. McGovern, our CEO, enclosing a Hurricane Sandy Relief Information - March 2013 Update for the American Red Cross. At the end of the questionnaire, there is a suggestion to email to obtain an electronic copy of the document. Would you kindly email an electronic copy of the document to my attention so that we can provide our response in the proper format? Thanking you in advance, Mary Elizabeth Cisneros Mary Elizabeth Cisneros VP and Deputy General Counsel 2025 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 (202) 303-5353 (p) (202) 303-0143 (f) MaryElizabeth.Cisneros@redcross.org This electronic message transmission contains information from the Office of General Counsel of the American Red Cross and may be confidential or privileged. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please notify us by telephone ((202) 303-5353) or by electronic mail (MaryElizabeth.Cisneros@redcross.org) immediately and delete this e-mail message from your computer. Thank you. From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Attachments: Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth Yael Fuchs; Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman; RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection - American Red Cross Friday, May 24, 2013 3:45:20 PM image001.png Mary Elizabeth Cisneros VP and Deputy General Counsel 2025 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 (202) 303-5353 (p) (202) 303-0143 (f) MaryElizabeth.Cisneros@redcross.org This electronic message transmission contains information from the Office of General Counsel of the American Red Cross and may be confidential or privileged. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please notify us by telephone ((202) 303-5353) or by electronic mail (MaryElizabeth.Cisneros@redcross.org) immediately and delete this e-mail message from your computer. Thank you. From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Meltzer, David Yael Fuchs; Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman; Rhoa, Brian; Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth; Roy, Sandra L; RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection Thursday, May 16, 2013 9:39:01 AM From: Yael Fuchs [mailto:Yael.Fuchs@ag.ny.gov] Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 5:20 PM To: Meltzer, David Cc: Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman Subject: RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection Mr. Meltzer, Thank you for your continued cooperation with our Hurricane Sandy collection efforts. Are you available for a brief call tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm with me and Jason Lilien, the Charities Bureau Chief? We want to make sure that we properly understand and report the ARC's allocations of unrestricted donations. I also understand from my colleague Karin Goldman that you will be providing the geographic breakdown of ARC's grants. Again, thank you for your assistance in that regard. Sincerely, Yael Yael Fuchs Assistant Attorney General - Charities Bureau Office of the Attorney General, State of New York 120 Broadway - 3rd Floor New York, NY 10271-0332 (212) 416-8391 (direct telephone) From: Meltzer, David Sent: Friday, May 10, 2013 11:42 AM To: Yael Fuchs; Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth Cc: Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman Subject: RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection Dear Ms. Fuchs, Thank you for your email and the voice mail message you left with Ms. Cisneros asking her to call you. Since Ms. Cisneros is out of the office today, I returned your call and left you a voice mail message that you can call me back at 202-303-4271. I look forward to speaking with you. Sincerely, David Meltzer General Counsel and Chief International Officer American Red Cross From: Yael Fuchs Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 3:53 PM To: Meltzer, David; Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth Cc: Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman Subject: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection Mr. Meltzer, Ms. Cisneros: Thank you for your continued cooperation with the efforts of the Charities Bureau to collect information regarding the ARC's Hurricane Sandy relief activities. We are in receipt of your response to our March 2013 survey, as well as your more recent update. With regard to Question 4 of our survey, which asks in which geographic areas your organization is serving, we are gathering additional information from the largest organizations involved in relief work regarding the areas being served. To that end, would you be able to provide a break down of the money spent by the ARC in New York by county? If you don't have this information at your disposal, I'd like to schedule a brief call to discuss what you might FOIL 140088 000061 be able to provide to assist in our analysis. Again, many thanks for your assistance. Regards, Yael Fuchs (Ms.) Yael Fuchs Assistant Attorney General - Charities Bureau Office of the Attorney General, State of New York 120 Broadway - 3rd Floor New York, NY 10271-0332 (212) 416-8391 (direct telephone) Pavone, Jessica T. From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Lockwood, Josh W.; Carol.Danko@mail.house.gov; Moira.Bergin@mail. house.gov; Yael Fuchs; Follow Up from the American Red Cross Monday, October 21, 2013 10:02:10 AM ’ ’ Pavone, Jessica T. From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Lockwood, Josh W.; Moira.Bergin@mail.house.gov; Yael Fuchs; benjamin. branch@mail.house.gov; sophia.lafargue@mail.house.gov; joseph. edwards@mail.house.gov; Follow Up from the American Red Cross Monday, October 21, 2013 10:01:02 AM ’ ’ Pavone, Jessica T. From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Lockwood, Josh W.; Moira.Bergin@mail.house.gov; Yael Fuchs; benjamin. branch@mail.house.gov; sophia.lafargue@mail.house.gov; joseph. edwards@mail.house.gov; Follow Up from the American Red Cross Monday, October 21, 2013 9:40:19 AM ’ ’ From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Pavone, Jessica T. Lockwood, Josh W.; Follow Up from the American Red Cross Monday, October 21, 2013 9:36:45 AM ’ ’ From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Pavone, Jessica T. Lockwood, Josh W.; Follow Up from the American Red Cross Monday, October 21, 2013 9:06:23 AM ’ ’ Pavone, Jessica T. From: To: cc: Moira.Bergin@mail.house.gov; Yael Fuchs; Kimberly.Young@mail.house.gov; Lockwood, Josh W.; FW: Followup: Case # - Red Cross Move in Assistance Program/ Sandy Recovery Program Monday, November 25, 2013 4:12:10 PM Subject: Date: ’ From: Sent: Monday, November 25, 2013 2:35 PM To: Lockwood, Josh W. Cc: Moira.Bergin@mail.house.gov; Yael.Fuchs@ag.ny.gov; Kimberly.Young@mail.house. gov Subject: Followup: Case # - Red Cross Move in Assistance Program/ Sandy Recovery Program Josh, We just wanted to report that two weeks ago we spoke to a woman from the Red Cross New York office, Sara Bergreen. (646-532-7478 is her direct line). She said she is a permanent worker there. After I retold my story as she had very little information in front of her, she said she was going to send a message to you, and claimed that she would absolutely call us back either the next day or the following Monday. I have had no calls since then, approximately two weeks ago. Nor have I heard back from anyone else. If you could help at all, we would greatly appreciate it. and On Tuesday, November 5, 2013 9:29 AM, "Lockwood, Josh W." wrote: Hi and Thank you for reaching out. I am circling back with my team and we'll be in touch shortly. All my best, Josh From: Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013 9:24:17 AM To: Lockwood, Josh W. Cc: Moira.Bergin@mail.house.gov; Yael.Fuchs@ag.ny.gov; Kimberly.Young@mail.house. gov Subject: Case # - Red Cross Move in Assistance Program/Sandy Recovery Program FEMA # Red Cross # 10/12/13 Dear Josh Lockwood, CEO, American Red Cross of Greater NY: I understand that on September 9, 2013, you and your Red Cross colleagues told Congressional staffers that Red Cross would honor past promises and representations of eligibility and assistance for Move In Assistance Program support. I was told I was eligible for and promised assistance from the Move In Assistance Program before never hearing from Red Cross again. Eligibility Promises/Representations On 03/10/13, I spoke with a woman named Liat who scheduled a meeting for me with two volunteers. I received numerous documents, which I fully completed and returned to Red Cross. I was scheduled then to meet with the 2 volunteers who looked over my documentation and we filled out more forms. I came with a child advocate because one of my children is special needs. This meeting lasted over 2 hours. The advocate has backup on this and called the Red Cross on our behalf several times but never heard back from your organization. . After my meeting, we had dealings with the next person in charge, Johanna Sanders, with whom I had many phone conversations because she asked us for more paperwork which was then provided. We were then asked to call Elizabeth Bispo who would be the next person in charge of our case. She asked for my entire story again and then discussed this with her supervisor because she felt that because we had an autistic child the matter was more concerning. They asked us for even more documentation, and about the current condition of our home. I said we had no floor and this was a problem because our child with autism has sensory issues, OCD issues, and visual perceptive issues. We also did not have furniture downstairs because the water ruined our couch, dining room, kitchen, etc. She said that we needed a pediatrician letter and estimates for the floor and furniture which we submitted. There were other requests that I don’t even remember at this time, but we were speaking for about three weeks to get all the necessary documentation together, then faxed over, then confirmed that she received on her end. This took many many hours of our time and caused a great deal of stress on our family. When I last spoke to her all the necessary documentation was ready to go to the financial people as she told us. Ms. Bispo was wonderful and very helpful. She told us that by the end of the following week we should hear from them. She said it looked good and her supervisor felt the same. She said it might not be the full amount but you should get something. That was the last of our conversation. I called the following week, and then the next week, and then the next week. They said I was in the system but no one knew what was going on and they couldn’t help us. We were literally left in this situation with no help. It was devastating and we were very angry as you can imagine. The next time we called was on 4/26/13 when we spoke to a supervisor named Raenall who told us she would hand the information and that we were not called back, over to her supervisor. On 5/10/13, I spoke with yet another person, Chris Losau, another case manager, and he said he was walking the information upstairs to his manager, and we should hear in a week. We never did. I did not call again until 9/5/13. However the child advocate that I mentioned did. She also was not able to get very far in getting us any information. On 9/5/13, I spoke with Victor Ramerus, who called us to find out if we heard anything. I again told him our whole story. He said I should be hearing shortly. We have not to this day received anything from the Red Cross or heard whether we would be receiving anything. This has been a very upsetting and painful situation as we always believed that the Red Cross was an organization who would help us and certainly keep their word and follow through. We have two children at home. They lost out on so much of their childhood last year and we cannot keep calling and spending the long hours of time to reconnect and tell our story again for the fourth or fifth time. We would appreciate some closure in this situation. Thank you for your understanding. We have sent in receipts and estimates for work done/to be done with W9’s. We have sent in Doctor’s statements concerning the safety of the floor with regard to our special needs daughter. It is my understanding that I would not have been requested to provide these documents and a case manager would not have told me that I was eligible if I was not eligible for the Move In Assistance Program. I still have these documents and they should be in my Red Cross file. Assistance Promises/Representations In the beginning of May, I spoke with Elizabeth Bispo who told me that I would receive assistance from the Move In Assistance Program for the flooring and sleeper/sofa primarily due to our daughter’s disability and the provided documentation including Doctors statements. I took the following actions after I was told I would be assisted: We purchased flooring and had it installed. We still have not been able to purchase the sofa. I would like to be reimbursed for the following items I paid out-of-pocket after being told American Red Cross would assist me: 1) Flooring and installation: $4478.00 In addition for reimbursement for flooring I am requesting assistance for the following furniture and appliances based on a family of four: 1) Sleeper/sofa: $550.00 2) Chair: $350.00 3) Dining Set $700.00 4) Vacuum $100.00 This entire experience with the Red Cross has been a roller coaster of emotions that has left us disillusioned and frankly, somewhat depressed. We were counting on the assistance of the Red Cross when we went ahead and purchased the flooring, which has left us deeply in debt. We also still do not have living room furniture for our children to sit on in addition to other non-completed items. We find as a family that it was completely inappropriate for a huge organization like the Red Cross to ask us to spend hours and hours of our time to get them documentation after documentation and then never call us back again. Even after numerous attempts at following through. I am only interested in approaching the Unmet Needs Roundtable AFTER my Red Cross Move In Assistance Program application is fully considered, after my eligibility for the program is restored. ONLY AFTER full consideration and any resulting assistance by the Move In Assistance Program, I authorize review of my application by the Unmet Needs Roundtable. Sincerely, From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Meltzer, David Yael Fuchs; Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth; Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman; RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection Friday, May 10, 2013 11:42:49 AM From: Yael Fuchs [mailto:Yael.Fuchs@ag.ny.gov] Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 3:53 PM To: Meltzer, David; Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth Cc: Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman Subject: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection Mr. Meltzer, Ms. Cisneros: Thank you for your continued cooperation with the efforts of the Charities Bureau to collect information regarding the ARC's Hurricane Sandy relief activities. We are in receipt of your response to our March 2013 survey, as well as your more recent update. With regard to Question 4 of our survey, which asks in which geographic areas your organization is serving, we are gathering additional information from the largest organizations involved in relief work regarding the areas being served. To that end, would you be able to provide a break down of the money spent by the ARC in New York by county? If you don't have this information at your disposal, I'd like to schedule a brief call to discuss what you might be able to provide to assist in our analysis. Again, many thanks for your assistance. Regards, Yael Fuchs (Ms.) Yael Fuchs Assistant Attorney General - Charities Bureau Office of the Attorney General, State of New York 120 Broadway - 3rd Floor New York, NY 10271-0332 (212) 416-8391 (direct telephone) From: Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth To: Yael Fuchs; Meltzer, David; Rhoa, Brian; cc: Jason Lilien; SandvResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman; Subject: Re: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection - American Red Cross Date: Thursday, May 30, 2013 8:45:20 PM Yael, Thanks for your email. We should be able to confirm tomorrow whether the GNY chapter donations were already counted in the numbers reported to you as of March 31, 2013. Mary Elizabeth Cisneros (Please excuse any typos - sent from mobile) From: Yael Fuchs Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 8:35:56 PM To: Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth; Meluer, David; Rhoa, Brian Cc: Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman Subject: RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection - American Red Cross Thank you. We're on the same page, assuming that the donations received by the Greater NY Chapter were not already counted in the donations you reported to us. Can you con?rm that? Yael Fuchs Assistant Attorney General - charities Bureau Of?ce of the Attorney General, State of New York 120 Broadway - 3rd Floor New York, NY 10271-0332 (212) 416-8391 (direct telephone) From: Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 5:09 PM To: Yael Fuchs; Meltzer, David; Rhoa, Brian Cc: Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman Subject: RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection American Red Cross FOIL 140088 000075 • • • Mary Elizabeth Cisneros VP and Deputy General Counsel 2025 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 (202) 303-5353 (p) (202) 303-0143 (f) MaryElizabeth.Cisneros@redcross.org This electronic message transmission contains information from the Office of General Counsel of the American Red Cross and may be confidential or privileged. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please notify us by telephone ((202) 303-5353) or by electronic mail (MaryElizabeth.Cisneros@redcross.org) immediately and delete this e-mail message from your computer. Thank you. From: Yael Fuchs [mailto:Yael.Fuchs@ag.ny.gov] Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 11:00 AM To: Meltzer, David; Rhoa, Brian; Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth; Roy, Sandra L Cc: Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman Subject: RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection David, Brian, Mary Elizabeth and Sandra: Per my voicemail to Mary Elizabeth, I'm writing to follow up on some of the information you agreed to provide during our call on May 16. The piece of information we need most urgently is the amount of funds that were raised and spent by the NY Chapter of the ARC. Could you please supply that information today? I have left a message with the development department of the NY Chapter - so far I haven't been able to get a hold of a live person there. Also important for the report is confirmation of how designations were handled when made by telephone and mail. We understand the ARC is very busy with recent storm relief. We greatly appreciate your continued cooperation. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Regards, Yael Yael Fuchs Assistant Attorney General - Charities Bureau Office of the Attorney General, State of New York 120 Broadway - 3rd Floor New York, NY 10271 -0332 (212) 416-8391 (direct telephone) FOIL 140088 000078 From: To: cc: Subject: Date: Attachments: • • • Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth Yael Fuchs; Meltzer, David; Rhoa, Brian; Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman; RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection - American Red Cross Thursday, May 30, 2013 5:09:30 PM image001.png Mary Elizabeth Cisneros VP and Deputy General Counsel 2025 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 (202) 303-5353 (p) (202) 303-0143 (f) MaryElizabeth.Cisneros@redcross.org This electronic message transmission contains information from the Office of General Counsel of the American Red Cross and may be confidential or privileged. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please notify us by telephone ((202) 303-5353) or by electronic mail (MaryElizabeth.Cisneros@redcross.org) immediately and delete this e-mail message from your computer. Thank you. From: Yael Fuchs [mailto:Yael.Fuchs@ag.ny.gov] Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 11:00 AM To: Meltzer, David; Rhoa, Brian; Cisneros, Mary Elizabeth; Roy, Sandra L Cc: Jason Lilien; SandyResponse; Karin Kunstler Goldman Subject: RE: NY AG Hurricane Sandy information collection David, Brian, Mary Elizabeth and Sandra: Per my voicemail to Mary Elizabeth, I'm writing to follow up on some of the information you agreed to provide during our call on May 16. The piece of information we need most urgently is the amount of funds that were raised and spent by the NY Chapter of the ARC. Could you please supply that information today? I have left a message with the development department of the NY Chapter - so far I haven't been able to get a hold of a live person there. Also important for the report is confirmation of how designations were handled when made by telephone and mail. We understand the ARC is very busy with recent storm relief. We greatly appreciate your continued cooperation. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Regards, Yael