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2019 Annual Report

Keystone Paralyzed Veterans now participates in WHEELS HELPING WARRIORS.

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Also, a major thank-you to CARS FOR VETERANS for a major donation supporting our programs for paralyzed veterans for the FOURTH year!

We have a new, easy way to donate on-line:

JustGive.org can accept your donation for Keystone Paralyzed Veterans on-line with minimum fuss, plus an option to stay anonymous or to include your contact information so we can personally thank you and show you how your support is working for paralyzed veterans today.

HOW TO SUPPORT PARALYZED VETS

(Scroll down to find out why we don’t accept wheelchairs and other equipment)

Donate TIME

Keystone PVA can benefit from your time, whether it’s to work on assembling the Easter Bags for Hospitalized Vets, or to volunteer time at one of the veterans’ hospitals in Altoona, Butler, Erie, Lebanon, or Pittsburgh (and we’re looking for folks in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area). Want to know more? Contact Volunteer Coordinator Agnes Strang, 724-745-1861.

Donate MONEY

We can make your donation of money go a long way, especially if you donate directly by check made out to “Keystone Paralyzed Veterans of America” or “Keystone PVA,” and mailed to Keystone PVA, 1113 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15215-2407.

You can make a donation by credit card by going to GreatNonprofits.org. Click here to go to the Keystone PVA page at GreatNonprofits.org.

(You can also donate your opinion! Near the top of the Keystone PVA page at GreatNonprofits.org is the “Write A Review” button. Click there and offer your thoughts about us. Of course, we would also appreciate hearing those thoughts directly from you, by phone, postal service or e-mail–keystonepva@comcast.net .)

We will be pleased to apply any amount you may wish to contribute to the programs of the Keystone Paralyzed Veterans of America. And we will be most grateful for your support.

We have three targeted needs right now: 1) Support for the attendance of our wheelchair athletes at the 38th annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Orlando, Florida in summer 2018 (cost per athlete: $2,500); 2) Support for the upgrade of our small storage room into a garage for our wheelchair-adapted minivan (estimated cost: $30,000); and support for our Hospitalized Veterans Programs, including Project Easter Bag (total program cost–$15,000/year).

To Give

Donate SERVICES

From time to time Keystone PVA needs professional services–legal, financial, or minor maintenance, to name a few. Right now, we need to upgrade our electrical service in our copy room and our kitchenette. It’s not a big job, but it would make it easier to do the work of the chapter.

Donate GOODS

The very best way you can donate goods is through our partner, American Thrift Center, based in West Mifflin, Pa., and serving the Pittsburgh region. Hundreds of donation boxes are located in the Pittsburgh region.  If you have larger items to be picked up, call American Thrift at 412-469-9665.

From time to time we need furniture, recent-model office equipment (including computers) and software. We’d be happy to consider offers.

Why we don’t accept wheelchairs–usually
Our headquarters building in Sharpsburg, Pa., has plenty of space for many things, but not the many offers of equipment, including wheelchairs, that we receive. Also, there is the matter of transportation, particularly if pickup and later delivery is some distance from our building.

But we can list them in our bi-monthly newsletter. If you are donating them, we can list your donated items at no charge. By placing a photo of the item with your contact information, potential donors can get a better idea of what is being offered and how far they (or you!) might have to go to get it. We will place the listing free if it is a donation.

If you wish to charge for the item(s), our ad rates are quite reasonable. Click here and scroll down to find recent copies of our newsletter, The Parascope, with the ad rates listed within.

To donate scrap metal:  Call Project Salvage USA, 412-443-5581
Email; support@psusa.org          Web: www.psusa.org

Some additional information

To operate as a legitimate nonprofit charitable organization, Keystone PVA must meet the standards of our parent organization, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, which requires an annual audit conducted by an independent third party. Keystone PVA must report its finances annually to the U. S. Internal Revenue Service, which must meet the standards of the IRS Code Section 501(C)(3). Keystone PVA files a Form 990 annually with the IRS. Keystone PVA is also registered with the Bureau of Charitable Organizations in the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and reports annually and pays a registration fee to that agency.

In considering charities and other nonprofits, you might wish to check out GuideStar.org, which has information, including the most recently-filed IRS Forms 990, on nearly two million nonprofits. Also consider the web site of the Better Business Bureau.

It is our policy to follow up any donation with a written acknowledgement for your tax records. Your donation is tax-deductible for federal tax purposes if you itemize your donations. Depending on the state in which you file your state income tax and the method by which you file, your donation may be tax-deductible for state tax purposes.

How much do we appreciate your generosity?
We appreciate every dime, and it doesn’t really take that much to serve Pennsylvania’s paralyzed veterans. If only one out of every 120 Pennsylvanians donated $3 each year, we could get the job done!

But the best type of generosity is the unsolicited type. Fundraising is very expensive! The costs of fundraising are greatly misunderstood. It’s not unusual for active fundraising to cost a very large percentage of the money raised. At the same time, a charity has to reach out, and outreach–calling by phone, sending mail, even organizing drives through social media–isn’t even close to free. It’s good to have volunteers, but fundraising is a skilled job, and training costs money, too.

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