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To whom it may concern:
My name is Robert Brown, owner of The Carolina Christmas Cash Essay Contest. Recently, there was some negatively reported news on NBC 17, which was completely without merit.
I launched the site on October 23, 2009 and immediately began to send out press releases to news stations in North and South Carolina.
On October 26, 2009 I received a call from Steve Sbraccia of NBC 17. He asked if he could interview me on camera, and of course I agreed.
I answered all of his questions openly and honestly. The interview ran on Tuesday night at 11pm as a consumer alert, Steve had interviewed Beverly Baskin from the Raleigh BBB who said she questioned the legitimacy of the contest.
How much of the money was going to charity? Who would be judging the contest? Is Mr. Brown using the money to pay bills? etc. Earlier that day (Tuesday 10/27), Courtney Smith from the Raleigh BBB called my personal cell phone (She got the number from the press release, sent to Steve). Disguising herself, she acted like an interested essay contestant.
Mrs. Smith was concerned about which charity would be receiving a donation. I told her that the charity would be voted on and named by essay contestants. That legally, we could not name a charity since I was not soliciting charitable donations or fundraising.
I had written into the contest that 10% of the "Net" proceeds would be the amount donated, and if she had any further questions to call back anytime.
Six weeks prior to launching the contest I called two attorneys and the Secretary of State for NC and was told that I would not have to register with the state, because I was not soliciting charitable donations or representing a charitable organization and what I was attempting was perfectly legal. Since it was not a game of chance, but took "skill" to win.
To answer Beverly Baskin's questions,
1. 10% of net proceeds will go to "A" Charity!2. I will be the judge (all essays are assigned a random number so there can be no bias of name, address, or anything to identify the contestant (content only). "NO" personal acquaintance or relative of mine will be eligible to enter the contest.3. I have only used my own personal funds to market this contest.4. As for oversight, Amy Thorpe of News14 Carolinas has agreed to keep consumers informed of all future details of the contest.Also, the 10% charitable donation is something I "Want" to do, it is NOT Required by law or anyone else.
This negative and nonfactual information generated by Beverly Baskin & the Raleigh BBB is exactly what can happen when there's a lack of communication. They should have called me "as themselves" to obtain the details in question.
My purpose here is to have people make their own decisions based solely on facts, not opinions of people who do not have all the facts!
We should all be careful who we take advice from. Sometimes we believe people because of their title or status alone....Governor, BBB Representative... etc.
Well that's all I have for now, Please email me with any questions, comments or concerns at Robert@carolinachristmascash.com.
You can also contact all of the people I have mentioned here to check my story for yourself.
Thank you for your time,
Robert Brown
Robert@carolinachristmascash.com
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Comments
By Robert Brown on 10/30 12:47 PM
Hello Teresa, When you say "Raise" $500,000, the word "raise" implies that I have a charity or non profit org. Which is not the case. I had an idea to host an essay contest where for $100 and a short essay, someone would have the chance to win $50,000. The only reason anyone had a problem with the contest is because I promised a portion to charity. That part confused people. All they heard was "charity". As I said in the article, I was not required to donate anything to anyone...I Wanted to do it. As for the profit...When did it become a bad thing to prosper if you are providing a service or "Contest" in return for a fee? Again, I could have set the prize at even $10,000 , but instead ,chose $50,000. Look at where you spend you money. Do those companies make a profit? Of course they do , if they want to remain in Business. The only difference is that I told you exactly how much I would make, by being 100% transparent. I gave all the details, all people had to do is the simple math. Long Story short, I am profitable in my primary business, and I expect to be profitable in all other ventures I take part in. I don't know a single person who works for free, do you? Anyway, sorry for the long answer,but.... I do appreciate the questions. Let me know if you have anymore. Warmest Regards, Robert Brown
By Teresa on 10/30 07:43 AM
You plan to raise $500,000 and give 10 percent to charity? what happens to the rest? sounds like you are going to make a nice profit!
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