FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
16/03/2009 – Chennai, India
It is with regret that the leading organizers of Chennai Event Management Services (CEMS) must issue this statement in response to false allegations regarding the misappropriation of event charity funds. The leading organizers also regret the circumstances that allowed a former employee of CEMS to believe and make such allegations. Besides fully rejecting these claims, it is also the responsibility of CEMS management to set the record straight.
As explained on the Rickshaw Challenge website (https://rickshawchallenge.com/charity ), participants are “invited to review and vote on how money should be spent and distributed among all the schools visited. Teams will then have the option of selecting a representative among themselves to work with a local representative from the charity partner (RTI) who will respond with images and updates about how the money is being used once allocations are done.” While specific details regarding the amounts and percentages of monies distributed to Adopt-A-Village and CEMS’s charity partner, Round Table India, are not publicly available on the Rickshaw Challenge website, the information (RTI, CEMS, and Donors) is available in the form of a common online spreadsheet, and can be provided upon request.
CEMS management would like to express their apologies for the confusion, misinformation, and concern these accusations may have caused. Furthermore, CEMS management is committed to providing more transparent evidence of the use of charity funds so that all members of CEMS’s events, from participants to employees, may understand and be secure in the fact that India’s villages, schools, environment, and people strongly benefit from the contributions of Round Table India and the participants of CEMS events.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please visit CEMS’s website at www.cems.in or contact Aravind Bremanandam
16Mar
How can we get access to the spread sheet?
How can we get access to the spread sheet?
I nor any of my team members never received the alleged invitation listed below. It seems like the website has been redone since the december 2007 rickshaw challenge.
“invited to review and vote on how money should be spent and distributed among all the schools visited. Teams will then have the option of selecting a representative among themselves to work with a local representative from the charity partner (RTI) who will respond with images and updates about how the money is being used once allocations are done.”
I nor any of my team members never received the alleged invitation listed below. It seems like the website has been redone since the december 2007 rickshaw challenge.
“invited to review and vote on how money should be spent and distributed among all the schools visited. Teams will then have the option of selecting a representative among themselves to work with a local representative from the charity partner (RTI) who will respond with images and updates about how the money is being used once allocations are done.”
– Krishnan you have access to the document now!.
– Arjun, RTI is waiting for the allocations of the Mumbai Xpress 2008. They have clearly stated that they will disperse the Classic run 2008 and 2009 only after the Mumbai Xpress -2009 fund dispersion is over
– Krishnan you have access to the document now!.
– Arjun, RTI is waiting for the allocations of the Mumbai Xpress 2008. They have clearly stated that they will disperse the Classic run 2008 and 2009 only after the Mumbai Xpress -2009 fund dispersion is over
who clearly stated this? when? where?
who clearly stated this? when? where?
RTI became the Charity partner from the Mumbai Xpress -2008 , A request was made to them to take over the Classic run 2008 funds as well. They agreed but they said that they will do that project only after they are finished with the Mumbai Xpress 2008 dispersion.
RTI became the Charity partner from the Mumbai Xpress -2008 , A request was made to them to take over the Classic run 2008 funds as well. They agreed but they said that they will do that project only after they are finished with the Mumbai Xpress 2008 dispersion.
when will this be? thanks
when will this be? thanks
Dear Participants!
Thank you for all your inquiries and your concerns regarding the recent issues we have experienced here at CEMS. While some former employees have raised unwarranted questions regarding our financial accounting, you can be assured that CEMS has kept true to our word.
In an effort to assuage any questions you might, we are diligently working on combining all financial and correspondence data from the past three years. However, because of the immense nature of this task, we ask your patience until April 20th when we plan to be fully caught up on public information.
Detailed financial and legal documents will be available upon request following the above date for review by any interested party. Here is some preliminary information that we can provide until more specific details can be released:
* While Rickshaw Challenge has striven to work in a fundraiser capacity around India, we are not nor have we ever been a charity organization.
* Charity coordinators for each rally have had complete access to all financial and charitable donation information.
* CEMS has not provided any false information regarding financial accounts and we are currently pursuing litigation against those individuals that have slandered our company.
* The charitable ability of CEMS and the rallies has increased from no funds collected during the initial rally to having a complex distribution system and a third-party charity to disperse raised monies.
Thank you once again for your reasonable concern towards these baseless accusations. We are working as quickly as possible to get you the full information and appreciate your continued patience. If you have any further questions that cannot be answered by the future release of information, please do not hesitate to ask.
Dear Participants!
Thank you for all your inquiries and your concerns regarding the recent issues we have experienced here at CEMS. While some former employees have raised unwarranted questions regarding our financial accounting, you can be assured that CEMS has kept true to our word.
In an effort to assuage any questions you might, we are diligently working on combining all financial and correspondence data from the past three years. However, because of the immense nature of this task, we ask your patience until April 20th when we plan to be fully caught up on public information.
Detailed financial and legal documents will be available upon request following the above date for review by any interested party. Here is some preliminary information that we can provide until more specific details can be released:
* While Rickshaw Challenge has striven to work in a fundraiser capacity around India, we are not nor have we ever been a charity organization.
* Charity coordinators for each rally have had complete access to all financial and charitable donation information.
* CEMS has not provided any false information regarding financial accounts and we are currently pursuing litigation against those individuals that have slandered our company.
* The charitable ability of CEMS and the rallies has increased from no funds collected during the initial rally to having a complex distribution system and a third-party charity to disperse raised monies.
Thank you once again for your reasonable concern towards these baseless accusations. We are working as quickly as possible to get you the full information and appreciate your continued patience. If you have any further questions that cannot be answered by the future release of information, please do not hesitate to ask.