Issues
In May 2004, ChildFund (then known as Christian Children's Fund, or CCF) became the subject of some contention when Christian charity watchdog group Wall Watchers sent a "donor alert" via e-mail to about 2,500 subscribers, informing them that the name of the charity—Christian Children's Fund—was designed to intentionally mislead its donors into thinking it was a faith-based missionary group. Howard Leonard, a chief executive of Wall Watchers, was quoted by a magazine as saying, "It isn't Christian in the way we look at it. If you're going to be bringing help to these children, you should be bringing the Gospel." A spokesperson for the group said that the organization does not proselytize any person to a faith, rather its name is derived from its founder, a Presbyterian minister who believed in "Christian principles," such as "love thy neighbor as thyself."
In 2008, CCF was reported to have turned down a $17,398 donation from GenCon Live Game Auction, which took place in August at Gen Con, a role-playing and board games convention. The donation was made in honor of Gary Gygax, who died in 2008, and who was a frequent donor to CCF. Some individuals within the gaming community expressed disappointment about the decision; prominent author and game designer Rich Burlew, for example, called it "insulting," and the response by gamers led both the CCF and Gen Con to issue official statements explaining what had happened. When questioned, the CCF replied that reasons for the rejection included "the possible misinterpretation of CCF’s role in regard to the event." ... "The information presented to us gave the appearance that CCF (the organization) was an endorser or supporter of the event instead of a beneficiary." A later statement issued by a representative of Gen Con explained that Gen Con had contacted CCF before the convention was held in August, and asked permission to use CCF promotional materials, which they believed CCF declined to provide because of Gen Con's association with the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons; after that, according to the statement, Gen Con chose to support a different charity in 2008 before becoming clear of the charity's actual position; at which point it was too late to change.
Read more about this topic: ChildFund
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