Thread: Tsunami Relief Effort

As many of you know, ValueMD is dedicated to helping others in need. After all, we are all somehow related to the medical field, which strives to achieve this exact purpose.

A tsunami has recently devastated the SE Asian region killing tens of thousands and leaving many more in need of assistance. ValueMD will try to help those victims by making donations to Doctors without Borders on behalf of the ValueMD community. To help even further, ValueMD has offered to match any donations made by it's members (up to $300) in order to encourage others to contribute as well. Click here to find out more.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those effected by this tragic event. Hopefully we can come together and provide some relief for those in need. Thanks for your support.

That's an extremely generous offer for an unimaginable tragedy! I for one will take you up on it and I certainly hope others do the same.

Originally Posted by sighko101

That's an extremely generous offer for an unimaginable tragedy! I for one will take you up on it and I certainly hope others do the same.

Thanks sighko101, I wish everyone thought the same as you. Here is an email we just received:

Originally Posted by (name withheld)

you pocket all moneys that is sent to you

no way in hell will I or anyone give you money

Just in case anyone else had any doubts about our intentions, here is our open response to anyone who would believe that someone could be so evil as to "pocket" charitable donations :

Originally Posted by ValueMD

The donations are not made to ValueMD.....they're made to Doctors without Borders. So we never have access to that money. We simply provide the links for you to donate the money DIRECTLY to them. Then, if you can prove you made a donation, ValueMD will match that amount (up to $300) in the form of a donation to Doctors without Borders.

If you don't want to donate to Doctors without Borders, make a donation to another charity which supports the tsunami relief effort and provide us with proof so we can match the donation. Here is a list of some non-profit organizations united in this effort.
http://www.networkforgood.org/topics...p;cmpgn=HMPCRS

We chose Doctors without Borders because it is the closest to our theme of Medical Education. However, you can pick any organization you'd like, and make the donations DIRECTLY to them, so long as you're helping those victims.

Thanks for your comments.

This type of email is the reason why we stopped accepting donations altogether. Instead, we promote awareness for different causes and provide links for users to make donations on their own. In addition, we make donations on behalf of the entire ValueMD community for various charities from the proceeds collected from the limited advertisement campaigns on the site (after expenses) so that the users can know that they were a part of this community effort to help others in need. Some of the recent charity events included Cancer awareness, sponsorship of 2 children in 3rd world countries, donations to other popular charities including the American Heart Association, UN World Food Programme, American Red Cross, and American Cancer Society, etc. More info about our charitable efforts can be found here.

I realize this person doesn't represent the good intentions of the majority of our users, but I thought it was important to point out in case there were any others who might have shared these thoughts. I hope this helped clear any doubts, but I'd be happy to entertain any questions if needed. And if you still have doubts, perhaps a simple prayer, regardless of your religion, can be offered in place of any monetary donation to these organizations.

Thanks again to everyone for their support.

Doc,

Thank you for your thoughtfulness, compassion and support. Let me assure you that most of us know of your good intentions and we are appreciative. -s&a

bad people everywhere...thnkas for the efforts just made a donation wish it was more but my fin aid just got cancelled so i may not be a sixth semester med student for a while...hehe maybe a transfer to spratn?

Mother nature some may say. I've been a surfer all my life, I've learned both respect and fear of the ocean. Something so unimaginable has happened.

My immediate family there are ok but a friend is thus far "missing"



If seeing the tv stories about parents losing their children, children their parents, entire families wiped out, one mother clutching her 2 children realizing she could not hold on to both, making the decision to let go of the older one; makes you cry, you WILL be a good doctor, so don't let go of your dreams.

Believe in yourself as much as you doubt

I see you've changed it from "any charity on the list" to either Doctors Without Borders or American Red Cross. Thinking about why ARC instead of IRC, I got to wondering...Are charitable deductions to "Doctors" tax-deductible in the U.S, being a French-based organization?

Not that tax-deductibility is the most important thing, but if tax-deductible, many can afford to offer more.

heart

Originally Posted by Doc

As many of you know, ValueMD is dedicated to helping others in need. After all, we are all somehow related to the medical field, which strives to achieve this exact purpose.

A tsunami has recently devastated the SE Asian region killing tens of thousands and leaving many more in need of assistance. ValueMD will try to help those victims by making donations to Doctors without Borders on behalf of the ValueMD community. To help even further, ValueMD has offered to match any donations made by it's members (up to $300) in order to encourage others to contribute as well. Click here to find out more.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those effected by this tragic event. Hopefully we can come together and provide some relief for those in need. Thanks for your support.

i was told yes by my 'accountant' 8)

We picked the Doctors without Borders originally, but then added the American Red Cross to give people a different option. But we'd accept receipts from any credible non-profit organization committed to the Tsumani relief effort.

Having said that, we've already surpassed our original goal because of the overwhelming response of the users. In fact, the top 3 donations included one of $300, and two others of $100 each . But despite having gone over our budget, the ValueMD management unanimously voted to match the donations made up to this point, even if it comes out of their own pockets......Mainly because we know that the donations were made in good faith knowing that they would be matched, but also because it's the right thing to do for these unfortunate victims.

Most users who donated mentioned the appreciation of our offer to match their donations. We're thankful for the kind words.......but, in truth, the appreciation goes to those users who have made the donations and surpassed the quota. Although we weren't expecting such a large response in such little time, we're very pleasantly surprised and very proud to be part of such a noble effort and good-hearted group of people.

To the generous users who have donated up to this point (names will remain anonymous unless those users elect differently), you should receive a copy of the receipt showing a donation has been made by ValueMD to the Tsunami Relief Effort in the exact amounts which you've generously donated to those victims. If you do not receive this within the next 48 hrs, please post here or contact myself or anyone from ValueMD and we'll make sure it's taken care of.

For all others who haven't donated yet, although we will not be matching any future donations since we've already exceeded our original goal, we sincerely hope that you will still consider providing support to any of the many organizations who are supporting this ongoing effort.

Once again, I'd like to offer our thoughts and prayers for all the victims and families of this terrible tragedy.

Attention Users:

As promised, ValueMD has completed the transactions and matched all of the donations made by the ValueMD community to the Tsunami relief effort.

For all the very kind users who provided us with proof of their donations to any charities supporting the worldwide tsunami relief efforts, you should have received a copy of a receipt indicating proof that a donation was made on your behalf by ValueMD to the same or similar charity matching the exact amounts which you've donated. A sample copy of one of these individual receipts is provided below with it's unique order / reference #, amount matched on your individual behalf, and company info highlighted. If you submitted your receipt and did not receive a copy of a receipt via email similar to the one attached, or if you are unable to view the email attachment or feel it is incorrect in any way, please let us know and we'll look into it and correct the problem if needed.

Example of individual donation receipt:


Once again, thanks to everyone who helped provide relief for the tsunami victims. We're very proud of the overwhelming response the ValueMD community provided. I'm confident that our collective donations will go a long way for these unfortunate people. If you haven't done so already, please consider making a donation to one of the many non-profit organizations who are participating in this noble effort. Here is a link to many of the organizations which are involved in this joint effort.
http://www.networkforgood.org/topics...p;cmpgn=HMPCRS

And if you can't afford to make a monetary donation at this time, please consider offering a prayer instead, regardless of your religion. Or perhaps simply encourage others to offer the help needed via any reputable charitable organization. Thanks and God bless.