This blog has been created to try to get to the bottom of
the financials for the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization (MWSO). I tried posting the question on the message
board http://www.voy.com/206235/ but it has been deleted three times.
The first time, Sunday July 27th - within 24hrs of the posting, the 2nd time on Monday the 28th -
within 2hrs of the posting and the 3rd time, same day - deleted within about 30 minutes
of posting. They have time to censor
postings but by July 27th, over 3 weeks from the state pageant, they haven’t had the time
to update the message board with the new titleholder’s photo. What does that say about their priorities?
Instead of addressing the questions they are deleting the inquiry. What
is going on with the financial records
of MWSO?
This blog will chronicle their efforts to stop the
questioning instead of answering them. I
will continue to put the question out there on the message board and post
how many times they erase it.
At some point I hope they realize they have to address the concerns many
have on how the financial records are being kept.
I am posting the letter sent to the organization along with
the documents. If anyone has answers
please feel free to respond on this blog.
If you have questions or further information please post, it will not be
deleted. The post has also been entered onto
the Miss America message board http://www.voy.com/223730/ so you can look for it there – title of the post is MWSO
finances in disarray?
Please only post factual information or concerns that
address the issues. I ask everyone to keep
this civil and not personal. As far back
as I can remember I have watched the Miss America pageant on TV. I always had fun rooting for my home state. To me, Miss America has always been a beloved
symbol of our country and it’s strong moral fiber. The organization has done so much for young
women over the years. There are
countless stories of women that would not have a college degree without this
program. I hope the organization
continues to thrive for decades to come.
As a supporter of the program I also want to insure our state
organization is a good steward of the Miss America legacy and is doing all it
can to grow the program and provide opportunities for the women who
participate. I am worried that is not
happening under the current leadership.
There have been many discussions on other ethically questionable behavior
of the MWSO leadership but I don’t want to get into those here, perhaps on
another post. For now, let’s focus on
the financials. Here are some of my
questions and concerns.
1.
What type of book keeping system is currently in
place to track income and expenditures?
2.
Why isn’t a monthly or quarterly statement given
to the board showing income and expenses?
3.
What is the board doing to address these concerns? Can they insist on an audit?
4.
Is there someone with accounting background on
the board that should be overseeing this?
5.
What are the requirements for financial accountability
for organizations like Miss America and the individual states?
6.
What is the national headquarters’ stance on
these concerns?
7.
What will it take to get the local directors and
volunteers to insist the financials be opened up for review?
These are the documents attached to the email that was sent to the board and executives.
I will post the chronicle of the deletion of posts on the MWSO message board next.
Reponses are welcomed. What do you think?
I will post the chronicle of the deletion of posts on the MWSO message board next.
Reponses are welcomed. What do you think?
