Charity and fraud

I am thinking about participating in the American Cancer Society “Relay for Life.” It is a walk-a-thon to raise money. I research before donating because there are so many deserving organizations that get lost in the crowd of less than efficient groups. Also there are many charity scams that bilk good intentioned people of hard earned money. Charity navigator is a resource along with the Federal Trade Commission and the IRS to check out the charity. I do not subscribe to the idea that “if it is big and established it must be OK.” The most successful scams are legal and endorsed by famous names.
In my personal experience livestrong helped me. They handle about 40 million dollars and are rated higher than the American Cancer Society. The ACS handles almost a billion dollars and seems to spend much of the money on fundraising events. Cancer related charities are huge business and accusations of collusion between big medicine, big pharma and the charities are a common theme among the blog-heads. I understand western medicine is not the only answer and that we tend to treat symptoms rather than focus on health but I do not think “it is all a scam.”
The treatment protocols that were used on me have a good track record with survival rates beyond five years. The five year benchmark is used because if you have “no evidence of disease” for five years and then die of something it is hard to pin the cause of death on the old cancer. Speaking from personal experience I imagine my lifespan is shorter due to the side effects of the treatment but much longer than if I left the cancer untreated. I also went with a known successful method rather than one of the alternative treatments. Steve Jobs was an inspiration.
If I do participate I do not want people to feel pressure to contribute. Charity should come from the heart. I believe in over tipping, it is best if it is done in a way that you do not get credit. The “pay it forward” idea taps into the same concept. I have no idea why God blesses me so much but, I should pass that on to others. It does not have to be money or material blessings. Being kind to one another even, especially, if they don’t deserve it is the idea. I have not reconciled this with not wanting to reward and encourage jerks. Errors should be on the side of mercy.
Thanks for all the prayers and support. Recovery is slow but steady. I will see the doctor for another checkup soon. Preparing the garden for spring is keeping me busy. If you feel strongly for or against the relay let me know.