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May 30, 2008

Charity's Failure to Disclose Data Draws Attention

The Shawn Hornbeck Foundation has ignored several requests over the past two years to provide financial and other information to the St. Louis Better Business Bureau, reports the St. Louis Beacon.

The foundation began after Shawn Hornbeck’s abduction in October 2002 and regained attention when he was rescued in January of last year.

The group has already gotten in trouble for not providing information to the state. The Missouri Secretary of State has twice taken action to punish the group — including seeking to shut it down — for its failure to provide financial data, but the organization’s status was “restored to good standing” on Wednesday after finally filing its 2007 annual registration report earlier that day, the newspaper reports.

Jim Judge, who oversees the area’s Better Business Bureau’s Charity Information Service, said that since 2005 the foundation has not responded to six letters sent to the attention of Craig Akers, Shawn Hornbeck’s father and president of the foundation.

“While the process is voluntary, the BBB believes that this lack of cooperation may demonstrate a lack of commitment to transparency,” said Mr. Judge.

In an interview with the Beacon on Thursday, Mr. Akers said that he plans to begin getting requested information to the bureau immediately. He said that currently the charity has only “$3,000 or $4,000” in cash on hand and that part of the foundation money has been used to purchase and equip a bus for use as a mobile command center in missing-child cases.

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