[.ca] Out of Harm's Way (ISBN 0671522787)

Terri Crisp is being investigated by CA Attorney General:
Terri Crisp is being investigated by the attorney general of california. Terri Crisp founded Noah's Wish in 2002 and was fired by the Board in January 2007 as a result of the investigation by the IRS and attorney general. visit www.noahswish.org to confirm. Please do not buy this book. The results of the AG investigation are expected to be released soon. Thank you. This story is taken from Sacbee / Lifestyle/Scene / Pets. Animal rescue group probed by state At issue: What Noah's Wish did with Katrina-sparked donations. By Deb Kollars - Bee Staff Writer Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, April 14, 2007 Noah's Wish, an animal rescue group based in Placerville, has closed operations and is being investigated by the California attorney general's office for how it spent and accounted for millions of dollars that poured in after Hurricane Katrina. The organization, which was founded in 2002 by Terri Crisp, rescued animals in disasters and drew widespread publicity for its work in the days following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Before Katrina, the group brought in between $100,000 and $200,000 a year, according to financial nonprofit records filed with the state. After the hurricane, a staggering $8.5 million in cash and other contributions poured in, according to financial documents obtained by The Bee. Crisp was executive director of the group until March 28. At that time, the nonprofit group's board took away her job, she said. She did not elaborate on the reasons. That same week, the board of directors posted a notice on the group's Web site saying it was in the midst of an ongoing civil investigation by the California attorney general's office. According to the Web statement, state investigators told the group that funds donated in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane could only be used for animal victims of Katrina, not other disasters or general preparedness. "Noah's Wish disagrees with the attorney general's position with respect to those funds," the Web notice states. The state attorney general's office would provide no information about the matter. "Our office cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation into Noah's Wish," spokesman Gareth Lacy said. Ralph Nevis, a Sacramento attorney representing Noah's Wish, also said he could not discuss the situation. Amy Maher is a Noah's Wish board member and a prosecutor in the Edwardsville, Ill., state's attorney's office. Her husband, Roger Smith, also is on the board. Maher, who joined the board in October 2005 following Hurricane Katrina, said the organization has a following in the St. Louis area, with many supporters. She said she could not comment on the investigation, or Crisp's removal. "We are in a holding pattern until we resolve this issue," Maher said. A former board member, Lori Polk of Granite Bay, said she has been cooperating with the attorney general's investigation, and could not talk about the specifics. Polk began serving on the Noah's Wish board in 2004, became chairwoman the following year, and left in October 2005. Her resignation followed those of several other board members. They all resigned, she said, over frustration that they asked for but never received from the nonprofit group adequate financial reports tracking income and expenditures. It left them unable to accomplish their fiduciary responsibilities, she said. "Basically, it just got out of control," Polk said. The decision to leave was painful, she added, because of the noble work on behalf of animals. A June 8, 2006, letter from John Waddell & Co., an accounting firm hired to audit the financial position of Noah's Wish as of Dec. 31, 2005, indicated a similar gap in financial information. The letter, given to The Bee by a former employee, said so many invoices, receipts and other records were not maintained during the months of rescue work following Hurricane Katrina that the firm could not conduct a thorough audit for that year. Crisp said she could not discuss the specifics of the investigation. She said "a good chunk" of the $8.5 million is sitting in a restricted account while the probe continues. "It's almost over with," she said during a phone interview this week. "I'm confident the outcome is going to be positive." The investigation began last June, Crisp said, and was triggered by a disgruntled employee. She said she wasn't surprised by the state's inquiry because the group's income had ballooned so much it was inevitable it would draw attention. She said she was stunned when the cash started rolling in. "We were unprepared on the administrative side," she said. "We were used to getting $1,000 or less in a week. When this hit, it happened so fast. We had days where there were 10 bins of mail." Crisp said she saw the growth in income as a chance to expand services. The number of Noah's Wish employees grew from three to 15 at one point and stood at eight in recent weeks, she said. She invested in office furniture and supplies, and bought vehicles and equipment for disaster use. "We had nothing. We had folding tables," she said. "Were we frivolous in our spending? No." Rick Johnson, executive director of the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, agreed. Six months ago, he visited the Noah's Wish offices in El Dorado Hills. "It certainly didn't strike me as excessive spending," he said. Crisp's pay also went up. Before Katrina, she was paid $6,200 in fiscal year 2003-04 for her work with Noah's Wish, state records show. Documents given to The Bee for the second half of 2005, which included Katrina and its aftermath, show Crisp earned $140,900 from the organization. Crisp said she didn't know where the $140,900 figure came from. Her pay rose to $132,000 in 2005 to make up for her past tiny paychecks, she said, and was to have shifted to $80,000 this year. Johnson said the closure of Noah's Wish has left a critical void. Recently, he said, he worked out an agreement with Noah's Wish, in the event of a major flood, to respond with trucks, cages and supplies to handle animal rescues. "We lost all that," Johnson said. "It's sad." Go to: Sacbee / Back to story This article is protected by copyright and should not be printed or distributed for anything except personal use. The Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852 Phone: (916) 321-1000 Copyright © The Sacramento Bee

Got em!!!:
Because of a simple trapping tecnique Terri taught me in this book, after 2 years of trying, I FINALLY trapped a feral cat in my neighborhood. If you do rescue work, this book is for you.

Amazing!:
If you love animals you'll love this book. The stories are heartwarming. I laughed & cried all through the book. Terri is an amazing woman & her work continues with Noah's Wish. BR>Read the book and if it speaks to you like it did to me you will want to get involved in helping animals and their companion humans in times of disaster.

A MUST READ:
I truly loved this book. Staying up until midnight some nights reading, it kept me wanting to read on to the next chapter. After reading this book I have a whole new perspective on how animals are treated. It never occurred to me that animals take that big a blow during natural disasters. I sympathized with the mistreated animals, and laughed at the comical creatures. I would suggest this book to anyone, animal lover or not, it was a great book.

A MUST READ:
I truly loved this book. Staying up until midnight some nights reading, it kept me wanting to read on to the next chapter. After reading this book I have a whole new perspective on how animals are treated. It never occurred to me that animals take that big a blow during natural disasters. I sympathized with the mistreated animals, and laughed at the comical creatures. I would suggest this book to anyone, animal lover or not, it was a great book.