Be sure donations go where expected

You're at home in the evening, the phone rings and the person at the other end of the line wants you to donate to a particular organization. Such callers often claim to be affiliated with a law enforcement agency or fire department. Sound familiar?

The intent of this letter is not to dissuade you from contributing to such organizations, but to provide you with information necessary to make an informed decision.

Throughout the year, telemarketers have solicited donations from citizens within McHenry County on behalf of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 118, an autonomous fraternal organization exclusive of the McHenry County Sheriff's Office. All monies solicited by telemarketers in the interests of Lodge 118 are used by that organization for its purposes alone. None of the funds raised by this organization are distributed within the sheriff's office nor do I authorize, endorse or control the fundraising techniques.

Often, forceful tactics used by telemarketers generate complaints. Any complaints you may have about a solicitor can be made either to the McHenry County Sheriff's Office at (815) 338-2144 or to the following address or telephone number: Charitable Trust Bureau, Office of the Attorney General, 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601, (312) 814-2595.

Additional information may be found at the Illinois attorney general's Web site at www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.

I urge you in taking reasonable precautions before committing to such a decision. You may believe your donation goes to the sheriff's office, but it does not.

Keith Nygren, sheriff

McHenry County