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Workers Say Charity Gave Little Money to Vets

Former employees of a veterans charity already under scrutiny in Tennessee say the organization handed out only a fraction of the money it raised in the form of gift cards. Florida-based Veterans Support Organization is under fire for its fundraising methods that brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars and for threatening to fire workers if they did not meet fundraising quotas. VSO has been criticized by other groups for how it uses donations raised outside retail stores and supermarkets. Tennessee officials  fined the charity for making false claims about the benefits it offered, and lawmakers in other states have called for a federal investigation.

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.
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