SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Police confirmed an investigation into Giving Back Spokane founder, Rick Clark, has been closed and no charges will be filed.
Clark posted on Facebook Saturday, in part:
Now that this has been fully investigated, my donors can be assured their money was never used for anything other than to help as many people as we possibly could.
I still want to help others and I will get back to that soon, though it will look a bit different.
The prominent Spokane community volunteer group with thousands of Facebook members had faced allegations of financial mismanagement involving one of its leaders back in late July. Anonymous allegations were posted on the Facebook page claiming misused funds, though the specific individual being accused was not named.
Board member Sara Welliver told us in July they discovered financial discrepancies during its wind-down process.
“The board of directors took immediate steps to investigate, secure organizational assets, and notify the appropriate authorities, including filing a police report,” she said.
Founded by Rick Clark, Giving Back Spokane has served as a resource for individuals in need, providing backpacks to people experiencing homelessness and raising money for various causes throughout the community.
The organization disbanded its nonprofit status in June, with Clark citing a desire to continue the group’s mission in a more flexible format.
“Sometimes with the nonprofit, you’re tied to whatever your mission is,” Clark said in a Facebook post at the time. “So when I want to help kids with cancer or I want to help pets—I love dogs and animals of all kinds—I can’t really do that because that’s not what our mission is.”
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