‘Seniors’ Center’ pitch has Senior Center fuming

State officials are looking into mailer from Maryland lobbying group

By Christian Gaston

The Forest Grove News-Times, Aug 27, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

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Walter Kester has lost track of how many letters he gets asking for money.

“If I sent money out to all of them, it’d be up to $3,000 a week,” Kester said.

But when the Forest Grove octogenarian got a letter asking for an emergency $35 donation to the “The Seniors Center,” he got suspicious.

The letter lays it on pretty thick. Its four pages of text are set in a typewriter font (but not actually typed) with what look like hand-written notes saying “thank you!” and “seeing your Blue X reply envelope will really lift my spirits.” (The pre-stamped return envelope is marked with a blue X.)

In small print on the back of that envelope, however, is a disclosure statement about the group, which includes its tax status: 501c(4), which means donations aren’t tax deductible.

Kester, 87, figured something wasn’t right. So, he took the letter to Don Breen, head of fund raising for the Forest Grove Senior Center, where Kester regularly eats lunch. Breen saw the printed signature of Gary Jarmin and knew exactly what was going on.

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