Jim P. Scott 78 of Cedar Springs passed to Heaven on Thursday, December 28, 2017. He was born January 9, 1939 in Grand Rapids, MI the son of Glenn and LoVern (Paravantes) Scott. He graduated from GR Union in 1957 and the MSU Ag Tech Program in 1959 and 1962. He was a member of the Cedar Springs United Methodist Church. Jim loved his family and doing anything he could to help others. He enjoyed his work with his company, J.S. Electric; disaster work with the Mennonite Disaster Service, being outdoors and working in his shop where he created many lovely pieces. He liked to spend time visiting with family and friends, travel, music and a good potluck meal. He learned from many and taught skills and wisdom throughout his life. A man of strong Christian faith, he lived his beliefs through his willingness to serve – his family, church and anyone in need. Surviving are his wife, Ann whom he married on June 24, 1960; children and grandchildren, Tim and Dorothy Scott, James, Lilly and Allison; Amy and Judd Galle, Glenn, Ruth and Lindsey; John Scott and Amy Nahley, Robert, Jadarius and Mimi; in-laws, Carolyn and Mike Reed, Gene Michaels; nieces, nephews and cousins ; the extended Pratt and Carlson families; and almost son, Dick Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law, Ralph and Alice Pratt; brother, Toby; sisters-in-law, Terry Scott and Linda Michaels. Jim’s family wishes to acknowledge and thank the staff of Clark Retirement Community for the loving and competent care he received in the nearly three years he lived there. The family will receive friends Friday, January 12 from 2-4 and 6-8 pm at the Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs. A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 13 at 11:00 am at the United Methodist Church, 140 S. Main St, Cedar Springs with visitation beginning at 10:00 am. Pastor Bill Johnson and Mary Ivanov officiating. Private interment Courtland Township Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) for disaster relief through the Cedar Springs UMC or Mennonite Disaster Service, 583 Airport Road, Lititz, PA 17543.

From the Better Business Bureau

The Salvation Army released the following warning:

“We received word from one of our National Advisory Board members about a robo-call from an organization (no name given) mounting an emergency appeal for funds for tornado disaster relief in Oklahoma. The pitch included specific reference to American Red Cross and Salvation Army, with text along the lines of “The American Red Cross and The Salvation Army are on site working, and we need more funds to keep help coming.” There was an option to press 1 to donate. The call came from phone number 888-981-6499.

Please be advised that this is NOT authorized fundraising of either The Salvation Army or the American Red Cross.  We ask that you please warn your territories and/or Board Members about this scam.”

BBB Serving Western Michigan offers the following basic wise giving tips:

1. Get the Charity’s exact name. With so many charities in existence, mistaken identity is a common problem. Thousands of charities have “cancer” in their name, for example, but no connection with one another.

2. Resist pressure to give on the spot, whether from a telemarketer, door-to-door solicitor or telephone call.

3. Be wary of heart-wrenching appeals. What matters is what the charity is doing to help.

4. Press for specifics. If the charity says it’s helping the homeless, for example, ask how and where it’s working.

5. Check websites for basics. A charity’s mission, program and finances should be available on its site. If not, check for a report at www.give.org.

6. Check with state charity officials. In many states, charities are required to register, usually with the office of the attorney general, before soliciting. Check http://www.nasconet.org/documents/u-s-charity-offices/ for the relevant office in your state.

7. Don’t assume that every soliciting organization is tax exempt as a charity. You can readily check an organization’s tax status at www.irs.gov/app/eos.

Be sure disaster relief charities are legitimate and equipped to help

March 14, 2011 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – As we learn more about the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit near the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance warns that—as occurred following the tsunami in 2004, Katrina in 2005 and the earthquake in Haiti just last year—fraudulent charities will likely emerge to try and scam donations from well-meaning Americans. BBB WGA urges givers to make sure their donations will go to legitimate and reputable charities and relief efforts that have the capability to help those in need.

“Whenever there is a major natural disaster, be it home or abroad, there are two things you can count on. The first is the generosity of Americans to donate time and money to help victims, and the second is the appearance of poorly run and in some cases fraudulent charities,” said Ken Vander Meeden, BBB President.  “Not only do Americans need to be concerned about avoiding fraud, they also need to make sure their money goes to competent relief organizations that are equipped and experienced to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance.”

BBB of Western Michigan offers the following seven tips to help Americans decide where to direct donations:

Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity.

Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other Web sites, as they might not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The public can go to www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and relief organizations to verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be cautious when giving online.

Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. In response to the tsunami disaster in 2004, there were concerns raised about many websites and new organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims.

Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the disaster impact areas.

Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers to quickly provide assistance.  See if the charity’s website clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.

Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups.

Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations.  If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to ensure the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims.

Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims that 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting earthquake victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fund raising and administrative expenses.  They may use some of their other funds to pay this, but the expenses will still be incurred.

Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations.

In-kind drives for food and clothing—while well intentioned— may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need – unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to be able to properly distribute such aid. Ask the charity about their transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

Look for details when texting a donation.

Beginning with the earthquake in Haiti, it’s become common to send a text to make a donation. Make sure you understand the amount to be donated, and whether there will be any service fees charged to your account. Be sure the offer clearly identifies which charity will receive the donation, then check out the charity.