TX-RPOA E-News
From Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues in Texas.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.

August 6, 2007

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/348/story/108372.html

Animal group settles case involving millions in
Katrina donations
By LAURA KURTZMAN
Associated Press Writer
http://www.noahswish.org

SACRAMENTO --
A Sacramento-area animal rescue group investigated for how it spent millions
of dollars raised after
Hurricane Katrina has agreed to give up control of the
$4 million that remains.

Noah's Wish raised $8 million in the hurricane's
aftermath, and the state attorney general's office
said all of that should have gone to help animals
affected by the storm. Instead, the group spent some
of it on animals elsewhere, as well as on its overhead
costs.

Under a settlement agreement, the state will take
control of the $4 million that has not yet been spent.
It is supposed to be given away again to help the
animal victims of the storm, which happened nearly two years ago, as well as
to build a new animal shelter in Slidell, La.

The agreement allows Noah's Wish, which is based in El Dorado Hills, to
continue operating as a nonprofit
that helps animals after disasters. The group and its
now departed founder, Terri Crisp, denied mishandling money.

"For Noah's Wish, it made more sense to reach a
resolution of this and have the money be directed to
helping animals affected by Hurricane Katrina," said
Ralph Nevis, an attorney who is representing Noah's
Wish but not Crisp.

He said it was better to give the money away than to
waste it on a trial.

Nevis said the problems arose because Noah's Wish was a small organization
that got overwhelmed by the $8 million that poured in after its hurricane
work was
publicized.

The attorney general's office argued that since the
money was given to help Katrina victims, all of it
should have been used for that purpose.

Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a statement that
his office had "cracked down on Noah's Wish." He
added, "While Noah's Wish supports the cause of
animals generally, it made specific solicitations to
help animals in New Orleans."

But Crisp said her group got different advice from its
accountant. She said Noah's Wish raised more money
than it could have spent on animals in the Gulf Coast,
and many of its donors understood that. She said she
wished the board of Noah's Wish had taken the case to trial.

"I became the scapegoat of this whole ordeal," she
said. "It's time to put it behind us. No one did
anything intentional. There was no wrongdoing found."

Under the settlement, none of the $4 million can be
spent on organizations affiliated with Crisp, who has
since started a new group called Animal Resources.

What will the State of California do with these Funds?
Ward