Parents Anyone have size Child Large Leos they dont need?

[kandkfunk]

Me too level9mom! LOL

 

[Linsul]

I am going to set up a charity selling used, and donated leos, the money raised will provide gym parents with wine. Any one in???

Yes this! As long as we can buy Framboise with it too! Also I asked at my gym which is listed as contributor, and got funny looks of "huh?"

The simplest conclusion is often the correct one, for me it's: SCAM. Maybe a well intentioned one but a scam nonetheless.

Here's my biggest issue with them: their snark toward relevant questions. On fb people are being "shamed" for inquiry as "not wanting to do something good." People *love* to do good things. That's why they want to make sure charities are legit, so the good will happen. It's not merely about the donating, it's the end result of where those leos go to and if the target demographic is benefiting. People want to know their contributions will make a difference, otherwise why bother? Horrible to insinuate the act of giving is diminished by knowing the process. That attitude is only beneficial to someone shamming imo.

 

[txgymfan]

I go to work and look at the discussion I missed! Bog, red wine or Linsul's framboise sound great. I don't have leo's but I'm sure I could donate something.

After Bog got banned I sent her a message of my own and we exchanged a few long not so nice messages on Facebook (messages, not wall posts). FB won't let me copy them but she was not pleasant nor understanding of our position. She did not give clear answers about finances or anything else.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

I am waiting for the next step...
Someone to look at this kids facebook page and see her wearing their 'donated' leotard. Why are they so keen for adult size leotards?

Resisting the urge to make snarky comment about prison, its all out there on facebook when you don't fix your privacy settings.

 

[kayjaybe]

I also did a fairly thorough search in IRS databases & Guidestar and found nothing. I hope this gal understands what kind of hot water she could be in with the IRS if she is erroneously claiming to be a 501c3 charity when she isn't. You don't mess around with that stuff.

We do a leo sale in our gym to benefit the team. Team members can donate their old leos and they are sold for $5-10 right in our gym. The rec kids snatch them up quickly. All proceeds benefit the team. I don't think we offer a receipt for them because the value is pretty low. And our team is a legitimate 501c3 charity.

ETA- it only takes a couple of months to get 501c3 approval. If they were founded in 2011, they should certainly be appearing on lists by now if they were actually approved. But honestly, I don't think they are even eligible. There are pretty limited options for a charity to be a 501c3 and I don't think this qualifies. You can be a non-profit sports booster club, but if that is how she is filing this, she is not at all transparent about it.

 

[flippin out]

I am waiting for the next step...
Someone to look at this kids facebook page and see her wearing their 'donated' leotard. Why are they so keen for adult size leotards?

I wondered that as well. Looking at it from a pure numbers point of view, there are way more young girls (needy or not) that would be needing youth sizes. Why would you target and put higher importance on adult sizes? The numbers go down drastically year by year, the older the girls the fewer participating in competitive gymnastics.....therefore the less need for bigger sizes. At least that's my reasoning anyway.

 

[kayjaybe]

I wondered that as well. Looking at it from a pure numbers point of view, there are way more young girls (needy or not) that would be needing youth sizes. Why would you target and put higher importance on adult sizes? The numbers go down drastically year by year, the older the girls the fewer participating in competitive gymnastics.....therefore the less need for bigger sizes. At least that's my reasoning anyway.

Exactly. When we do our used leo sale at the gym, the small sizes are gone so fast. The adult sizes tend to hang around and don't sell as well.

 

[flippin out]

Love the post over on their facebook asking about where the Olympian leos are, that they would like to buy them for her daughter. Wouldn't everyone? I love that poster!

 

[flippin out]

someone else just posted this gem over there:

I just talked to Yevgeny at Woga Frisco, he hasn't heard of this charity and apparently Woga is on their credit list or whatever. If this is fake, it's pretty sad to hide behind gymmies with a legitimate need. Even worse to shame the people who have relevant questions regarding the legitimacy of this charity. If you can't produce the 501 (c)(3) documentation, they you shouldn't advertise until you can. That's part of being upstanding, unless of course you're not.

 

[Muddlethru]

While Left Over Leos is not listed in the IRS database of tax excempt organizations, they seem to have filed the required Certificate of Formation Non-Profit Organization with the Texas Secretary of State. I don't know if incorporation filing procedures vary from state to state, but I know the first step to forming a corporation, LLC or even just a DBA is to check the availability of the name you intend to use from your Secretary of State. Then you must file the appropriate incorporating papers.

Left Over Leos is listed in the Texas Secretary of State as a non-Profit organization. She may have registered her business with the Secretary of State but neglected to follow through with the IRS. In any event, she may have missed doing a crucial part in organizing her business which still does not give her the not for profit business status. The process in Texas does not seem cumbersome or expensive. So, I don't know why she would not follow through. FYI our booster club does not show in the IRS database either and we were incorporated a couple of years ago.

In any event, I find it hard to believe from looking at her pictures, and considering her young age (I am guessing 24 since she graduated from high school in 2007), her active participation in the sport of gymnastics both as an athlete and a coach, that she'd be gutsy enough to perpetuate a fraud and risk so much. Can she be that naive that she thinks there is no risk involved? She'd be liable for back taxes with interest, penalties, not to mention prison time. I'd still like to reserve judgement on this young lady. Her organization if run and operated as she states, is a benevolent idea.

 

[kayjaybe]

I just asked how a team pro shop can be selling these leos that were donated by people to go to needy kids. That makes absolutely no sense.

 

[flippin out]

I just asked how a team pro shop can be selling these leos that were donated by people to go to needy kids. That makes absolutely no sense.

I know several people who've been banned from posting on her page. They made the mistake of either asking a question that they didn't want to answer, or pointing out discrepancies. The comment was deleted and they were blocked....people who asked questions earlier in the day and now apparently forbidden from 'liking' or commenting on their page. So I guess they must be too busy right now to keep banning people or deleting their questions.

I think the idea of the organization is lovely......but poorly planned and executed at best. And since they are not very forthcoming on the answers to the pointed questions, it becomes suspicious and murky. Claiming a 501(c) status is not something to mess around with. If they do not have that status it is false and illegal.....doesn't matter if is really is well-intentioned or not....still illegal. You can't claim it and parade it around if you do not have it.

 

[MaryA]

.

ETA- it only takes a couple of months to get 501c3 approval. If they were founded in 2011, they should certainly be appearing on lists by now if they were actually approved. But honestly, I don't think they are even eligible. There are pretty limited options for a charity to be a 501c3 and I don't think this qualifies. You can be a non-profit sports booster club, but if that is how she is filing this, she is not at all transparent about it.

Actually, our team booster club is still awaiting our official 501c3 status after nearly 2 years. I knew it was a mistake to call ourselves the Tea Party Gymnastics Booster Club!

(For the record, kidding about the Tea Party thing, but not about the status.)

 

[flippin out]

Actually, our team booster club is still awaiting our official 501c3 status after nearly 2 years. I knew it was a mistake to call ourselves the Tea Party Gymnastics Booster Club!

(For the record, kidding about the Tea Party thing, but not about the status.)

lol to the Tea Party.

The organization should NOT be advertising and claiming the 501(c)3 status if it's still pending.....just my opinion. It misrepresents your organization to state that you are (and you can not give receipts if you are not approved yet). If she is still pending then she should state that on the site ----- big disclaimer saying that 501(c)3 status is pending. There are no tax credits for donating to an organization that is merely pending.....that may lead others into tax issues themselves. Unless laws in Texas are way different on this than in my state.

 

[kandkfunk]

MaryA - that is a very long time. During this waiting period, are you able to tell people that you are a 501c3 non-profit and provide receipts for donations? Or, do you have to wait until you get the actual documentation?

 

[flippin out]

when our old club filed for status for the booster club (it was a brand new booster club) the whole thing was done within a few months at most.

 

[MaryA]

MaryA - that is a very long time. During this waiting period, are you able to tell people that you are a 501c3 non-profit and provide receipts for donations? Or, do you have to wait until you get the actual documentation?

Apparently we are actually in the pile with the tea partiers. Word is, when were just getting started and the right hand didn't know what the left was doing, we applied twice and that raised red flags. We've been told it will be retroactive once it goes through, but it does limit our fundraising somewhat in the meantime. No leo/wine exchange fundraisers for us right now.

 

[motigymnasticsmom]

Maybe we could start one! BTW, what do you do with the expensive competition leos and warmups?

Sent from my SCH-R720 using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[bogwoppit]

I got banned from her FB page and she had no idea I had anything to do with the CB!!! She may be young and confused, but she sure is pulling a lot of well known gymnasts into her fantasy charity.

 

[Linsul]

I got banned from her FB page and she had no idea I had anything to do with the CB!!! She may be young and confused, but she sure is pulling a lot of well known gymnasts into her fantasy charity.

That part kills me. Can't claim ignorance on that like you can with paper work. It's so shameless ugh....