November 19, 2003 — South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond announced the 2003 Angels and Scrooges List at a news conference held at the State House Auditorium in Columbia.

The annual designation of the best and worst charities as Angels or Scrooges has become a South Carolina tradition, receiving national recognition from news organizations, such as “Fleecing of America” on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.
Secretary Hammond stated, “As your new Secretary of State, I am happy to continue this nationally recognized South Carolina tradition One of my duties as your Secretary of State is to guard the dollars you give to charity, and I want you to know that I am very committed to protecting charitable solicitations in South Carolina.

“The Scrooge and Angel lists serve as educational tools for you, the public, and also as a reminder to check it out before you write the check. It is regrettable that stingy organizations seek to take advantage during this time of year, when people’s hearts and minds turn to helping those who are less fortunate.”

“That is why I feel it so important to remind our citizens to utilize available resources in order to make informed, educated decisions on how to donate their dollars.” Secretary Hammond said the 2003 Angel List recipients were selected because “these organizations were found to be extremely effective at giving a high percentage of their total expenditures directly to programs for their designated cause, their compliance with the S.C. Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act, and their high use of volunteers in their fundraising efforts.”

The 2003 Angels List recipients, as announced in alphabetical order, with the percentage given directly to their cause are:

  • The Rotary CART Fund, from Sumter 99%
  • Cold War Submarine Memorial Foundation, out of Charleston 98%
  • Gullah Festival of South Carolina, Inc., from Beaufort 98.6%
  • My Sister’s House, Inc., also from Charleston 86.4%
  • National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, from Maryland 95.9%
  • Newberry Opera House Foundation, from Newberry 93.3%
  • Pickens County Sheriffs Office Foundation 99.7%
  • Smile Train, Inc., from New York, New York 91.3%
  • SOS Health Care, Inc., out of Myrtle Beach 87.8%
  • South Carolina Children’s Theatre, from Greenville 89.2%
  • St. Luke’s Free Medical Clinic, from Spartanburg 84.4%

“To all of our Angels, on behalf of the people of South Carolina, I want to say thank you. Your tireless efforts enrich the lives of those in your community, and inspire us to keep a generous and giving spirit year round,” said Hammond. The annual Scrooge List is based on the charitable organization’s failure to spend a decent percentage of their expenditures on actual programs, their high use of paid (professional) fundraisers, and their presence in our state.
The 2003 Scrooge List, as announced in alphabetical order, with the percentage of funds actually given to the causes they represent:

  • A Child’s Wish, of Sarasota, Florida 4.1%
  • American Association of State Troopers, Inc., of Tallahassee, Florida 15%
  • American Relief Association, of Phoenix, Arizona 2.1%
  • Children’s Wish Foundation International, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia 38.5%
  • Committee for Missing Children, Inc., of Lawrenceville, Georgia 9.5%
  • Disabled and Retired Police Officers Educational Fund, Inc., of Niceville, Florida 1.2%
  • Humane Society of the U.S. Wildlife Land Trust, out of Washington DC 17.3%
  • Shiloh International Ministries, of Laverne, California 8%
  • South Carolina Police Officers Association, out of Conyers, Georgia 0.8%
  • Vietnow National Headquarters out of Rockford, Illinois 4.7%