Target store above donation to Viet vets

[TCDiver1]

Again, i hear what your saying, you are making some good points. I am working on verification by trying to check out the e-mail first, then i'll call Target, then i'll post my findings here. This is for the benefit of the people on this board, not mine. The person who sent me this e-mail is known to me to have excellent character and would not have e-mailed me this if he didn't know it to be true. That's why i believe it, i can understand and appreciate why others would need more proof. More to follow...

Also, "sponsor" usually means money or its equivalent in the business world. I have yet to be asked to "sponsor" a function, event or organization without also being asked to donate money or product. It's the way it usually works. More to follow....

 

[Green Mountain]

If you are a Viet Nam veteran you should be used to getting nothing.

I left college and joined the Army back in 1964. It was always my intention to get my money from serving in Viet Nam and return to college.

Well when I got out of service all of a sudden I had all these kids. Then they had to go to college. So I was 54 before I got a chance to go back to college.

After I enrolled I figured I'd apply for my veterans educational benefits. Well, I was told by the VA, My Congressmen and every Veteran group. that I'm too old and all my money that I earned was taken away.

Well I finished college anyway thanks in part to a scholarship grant from the Coca-Cola Corporation.

So if you decide not to shop at Targets at least drink a lot of Coke.

 

[TCDiver1]

benncool once bubbled...


After I enrolled I figured I'd apply for my veterans educational benefits. Well, I was told by the VA, My Congressmen and every Veteran group. that I'm too old and all my money that I earned was taken away.

Age shouldn't make a difference IMO. The system really sucks sometimes! Congrats on getting your degree in spite of the institutional ignorance displayed by our country and thanks for your service.

 

[Rick Murchison]

We researched this from a veteran's group I'm in.
Here is Target's response - y'all can make up your own minds from it, I think.
Rick
---------------------
Dear Mr. Turner,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
We want to clearly and completely apologize for any misunderstanding regarding Target's support of the Vietnam Wall and our corporate giving program. Giving back to the communities where our stores are located is something we're proud to do. In fact, nationwide, Target Corporation gives more than $2 million a week to the communities in which we serve.
In March of 2002, a veteran approached one of our stores seeking a $100 donation for a display of the "moving wall" in his area. Target does support events in the communities in which our stores are located. While each store determines which events to sponsor, any contribution is limited and is made in the form of a gift card. The stores are not able to give cash contributions to any organization. Stores are also able to donate volunteer hours to community events and projects.
Our corporate giving program that does incorporate cash donations is handled through a process called grants. Unfortunately, the veteran and his organization were not provided the proper information to facilitate consideration of a grant from either the store or our corporate office. The initial response of the team member at the store and the reply from our corporate office are inconsistent with the respectful manner in which we want all of our guests to be treated. We are truly sorry for this oversight and the resulting confusion that has taken place.
We accept all applications for grants from January 1 to September 30 of each calendar year. Any guest can request a grants application brochure at their local store, called "Grant Guidelines." Veterans programs may be considered for grants if the subject matter falls into one of our three general areas of giving: education, arts and family violence prevention.
Guests can also access a grant application at http://target.com/target_group/community_giving/grant_guidelines.jhtml.
This is certain: Target appreciates the dedication and service of all our veterans. Thank you again for your interest.

Sincerely,
Daniel Cleland
Group Team Leader
Guest Relations
www.target.com

 

[AquaTec]

Rick
Good job on the research.
I think that it clarifies their posission.

and it sounds appropriate

 

[TCDiver1]

I'll make sure this gets passed along to my buddy who e-mailed me the letter. Sounds like a case of bad timing for the veterans group looking for a donation and possibly a bad day for several Target employees. Hopefully this response can find the originator of this letter and future requests can be made within Targets guidelines. It sounds like it got Targets attention at a minumum.

I'll update this thread if i can get the Veteran groups side of the story.

Apologize for any over-reaction on my part, this is an emotional topic with my family and friends.

 

[TCDiver1]

Could not track down the author of the original letter that started this, so could not get his side of the story. Targets response was passed on to the originator of the e-mail to me, who is not the author of the letter.

It's obvious to me from Targets response that they have an excellent program of giving back. Yet i can't help but feel there is more to this story than Targets response. It may be as simple as the Target team member having a bad day or not caring enough about what was asked for to pass along Targets procedure for "grants." It may be as simple as the Vet having a bad attitude or approach in asking for the donation.

What ever it was, i would think if Mr Cleland and Target were truly sorry for the oversite they could have found a way to donate to the "moving wall" by now. Maybe not in the location of the original request but the wall moves to a lot of places that do or don't have Target stores. They don't offer that, they offer how to request a grant in the future, which is progress, i guess.

Doesn't seem genuine to me IMO.