THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9411030441
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN E. QUINONES MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
While the national NAACP is so financially strapped that its employees have been put on an unpaid two-week furlough, the Hampton Roads chapters of the civil rights group report healthy increases in contributions.
``I've been in my position for 12 years,'' said Paul Gillis, Area II chairman of the NAACP's Virginia State Conference, ``and I'd say we've had an increase of about 30 percent in donations in the last few years.''
Nationally, donations have slowed because of the disclosure this year that the NAACP has a deficit of almost $4 million, the August ouster of Executive Director Ben Chavis Jr. because of financial misdealings, and current allegations of extravagant spending by board chairman William F. Gibson.
Earl T. Shinhoster, interim senior administrator of the NAACP, told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday that memberships, corporate gifts, foundation grants and assessments from local units have been slow in coming.
Gillis, whose area encompasses Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Isle of Wight, declined to say Wednesday how much money the local chapters have raised. But he said the state regional conference has had no problems collecting dues from the chapters. Part of these dues is passed to the national organization.
``I can say that this year already shows a slight increase over 1993,'' Gillis said.
The Chesapeake NAACP branch is the biggest fund-raiser, Gillis said, followed closely by Norfolk's.
``With as many cases of discrimination and alleged cases of discrimination in this area, people realize the black community is fully aware that an organization like the NAACP must be supported and kept alive,'' Gillis said.
Chapters in other sections of Virginia are also doing well, according to state NAACP officials.
``We've been doing well all over,'' said Salim Khalfani, branch and field coordinator of the Virginia State NAACP Conference in Richmond. ``The Tidewater area is probably the most financially stable, but we're meeting all obligations statewide.''
On Tuesday, Shinhoster told the Baltimore paper that about 80 NAACP employees around the country who are employed by the national organization were placed on an unpaid furlough Monday.
Local chapters are staffed by volunteers and were not affected by the national headquarters' actions.
The move will save the NAACP about $220,000 in salaries, Shinhoster said.
On Wednesday morning, a message was left with a receptionist at Shinhoster's Baltimore office. He did not return the call.
By early Wednesday afternoon, a call was answered by a taped recording which said: ``Thank you for calling the national headquarters of the NAACP. This week the NAACP is working with a limited staff. Please call back later.''
The NAACP is struggling against a deficit of nearly $4 million. Shinhoster said Tuesday that money has been coming in slowly from memberships, corporate gifts, foundation grants and assessments from its 2,200 chapters
The firing of Chavis this summer - which came after a secret deal to pay $332,400 to a former aide in exchange for her dropping a threatened sexual-harassment suit was made public - and recent allegations of extravagant spending against Gibson, have caused some corporate sponsors to reconsider their usual contributions, according to some speculation.
But the controversies seem to have had little or no effect in Virginia.
``There may have been some little hesitation on the part of a few corporate sponsors during the Chavis situation, but it was only a temporary hesitation,'' Gillis said. ``But once they reviewed their commitment to the NAACP and its mission, they decided to go ahead and contribute.''
Khalfani, the state official, said he attributes Virginians' willingness to dig in their pockets to their awareness that the NAACP is still very much needed because problems still exist in Virginia. Said Khalfani: ``The racist actions of the right-wing conservatives and the actions of Gov. (George F.) Allen will ensure money will continue to come in to support NAACP programs.''
KEYWORDS: NAACP NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE
DONATION CONTRIBUTION by CNB