oneGirloneRide
I could tell, from my very first phone conversation with Kerry Madgett, that the article I was assigned to write about her and her daughter, E'leese, was going to be fun. Kerry talked a mile a minute. She had to in order to keep up with the big ideas that were rolling around in her daughter's head.
Her daughter - E'leese - a 12 year-old recently graduated from 6th grade, is on a mission. She is planning to ride her Arabian horse in a loop through the state of Minnesota, raising money along the way, so that she can buy a 3,000-acre ranch and turn it into a vacation resort in rural Minnesota for soldiers and their families to use for free.
She is calling her quest oneGirloneRide and is blogging about her trip along the way.
While most parents might laugh off an idea such as this, E'leese's mom decided to support her daughter 200 percent, which meant quitting her job to become the PR manager for the endeavor, employing a lawyer to help incorporate the plan into a legal nonprofit, and accompany her daughter (who is only 12 after all) throughout the summer.
They are an amazing duo. Or trio if you count the horse. Or foursome if you count the dog, who is also going along.
Their journey starts on June 7, but it won't end until August 31.
If you'd like to learn more about their ride, or learn how to contribute funds, you can always check out my article on the subject:
On the Trail to Helping Veterans.
Labels: My Freelancing Life
posted by Kelly at
12:40 PM
8 Comments:
Is this really a nonprofit organization? I would be leary to give money to something like this unless I knew that it was a 501c3 - it doesn't say anywhere on their website that is a nonprofit.
When I met with the pair (E'leese and mom Kerry) they said they had turned in the paper work to become a 501c3, but that they hadn't yet gotten back a final stamp of approval from the feds.
It can take a few months (or more) for the feds to do their part and stamp everything into official action.
If it helps, after meeting them, there is no way they are not honest in their intentions.
But that's probably little comfort when you're thinking of donating dough.
But if you like the idea and are interested in the story, I'd say to keep checking back in on their status.
Kelly
Hey - thanks for replying....I just thought I'd check with the feds and they didn't have their organization listed as approved or in the works...I don't give my money up for just anything...unless I do my homework. It does sound like an interesting concept - so would they live at the ranch for free? What happens if the feds don't approve it? I don't know much about this stuff.
I'm glad someone else asked about nonprofit status... I saw your article and like the concept but am also worried about donating to anything that hasn't officially received nonprofit classification. However tedious, the process assures that the organizers are accountable for donations. Given how unrealistic it is to raise $16 million, do you know what they plan to do with donations if they don't reach that? And how did they arrive at such a huge figure?
I agree with the nonprofit status thing. I too like to know that my donations are going to a transparent organization.
I did notice that One Girl One Ride has put nonprofit status pending verbiage on its site.
As to how long it takes to go through, as I understand it can take up to six months for official
federal approval and, once you've turned in all your forms, largely depends on how quickly staffers get through their stack of paperwork.
As for the amount they are hoping to raise ... well, they want to buy about 3,000 acres of land. I'm not a real estate agent, but I can't imagine that comes cheaply.
Then they want to build on it. Again, I'm not a contractor, but that comes at a hefty price as well.
Once it's up and running, why do they want to let military personnel use the property for free? As a nod to the service they've provided the rest of us.
What do they plan to do with the money if they don't raise their goal?
Perhaps you should pose that question to them directly. Their email is:
onegirloneride@yahoo.com
I did email them - they didn't respond -- here's what I found on the IRS website - will they live there too?
A section 501(c)(3) organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, such as the creator or the creator's family, shareholders of the organization, other designated individuals, or persons controlled directly or indirectly by such private interests. No part of the net earnings of a section 501(c)(3) organization may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. A private shareholder or individual is a person having a personal and private interest in the activities of the organization.
As far as I know, they are not planning to live there.
As for no response to your email...do give them a little space and time.
They are riding horses through outstate Minnesota, after all.
I was assigned this article for a local publication, which was interested in E'leese and her ride across Minnesota as a human-interest piece.
The focus of the story was to be, basically: 'Here is an area girl who is doing an unusual thing.'
I did not investigate the nonprofit status of the One Girl One Ride organization.
That was not the focus of the story, plus the time-frame I was given to produce the piece was short.
I did ask whether or not One Girl One Ride was a nonprofit in my interview.
Kerry Madgett (E'leese's mother) said she had a lawyer and had started the process. I took her at her word.
Given the amount of leg work she had already done in order to get this entire event into place, and all the other donations she had so far amassed (a brand new truck, a brand new horse trailer, an event insurance policy, a web developer, horse feed, etc.) it made sense that she was pursuing legal nonprofit status.
In the body of the article, I did write that One Girl One Ride was NOT a fully fledged nonprofit.
I respect the feelings of readers who are concerned about donating money to someone who does not have 501c3 status, and have said as much in previous replies.
I personally share the same concerns and always look to see if an organization I'm writing a check to has 501c3 status.
By all means, I applaud the phone calls and the interest many of you have taken in the One Girl One Ride project.
However, I want to stress that I was assigned this story from the editor of the publication in which it appeared.
I am NOT a spokesperson for One Girl One Ride.
I am NOT a personal friend of One Girl One Ride.
I do NOT know all their goings and doings.
I do NOT know the personal histories of E'leese and her mother.
In their defense, I do understand if they are not Johnny-on-the-spot in their email replies and blog postings and I do not believe that this in any way indicates a lack of commitment to their cause.
They are riding horses through a rural area. They are in the sun all day long. They are doing physical activity all day long. Surely they are exhausted.
Anyway. Here ends my little rant.
Please, if you have more to say about One Girl One Ride, address your comments to:
editor@weeklynews.com
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