Rejecting Gambling Donation Hurts Lighthouse Mission

When a nonprofit such as Lighthouse Mission of Patchogue comes along that is doing such good work for the community, they need as much money in donations as they can get. Donations are what pays for keeping the nonprofits operating.

At a time when the mission is searching for ways to come up with money, they have rejected a very generous offer. The Mission rejected a six figure donation because it was part of lottery winnings.

The Mission advises people against the dangers of gambling, and feel that if they are going to have people believe their message, they must follow it themselves.

"For me to be on one side of the table and say, 'Nothing good comes from gambling, it destroys your family,' and I convince them, and with God's help they listen, and they are right on the cusp of putting it all together. And then I am holding up a state lottery check and saying, 'We were blessed.' It would cause people to stumble," said Mission Executive Director Pastor James D. Ryan.

What else could possibly make people stumble is if the Mission does not raise enough funds to keep preaching their message. The six figure check, although coming from a gambling source3, could have done wonders in helping to educate people about the dangers of gambling.

Many online gambling sites have links on their sites to places where people can get help if they feel they have a gambling problem. Casinos are also very active in helping set up educational tools to help combat problem gambling.

September 13, 2008
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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