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Afghan children fund
is legitimate

Question: Soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy, I read and heard about a humanitarian fund that was set up for the children of Afghanistan. It said to make a check out to the Children of Afghanistan and mail it to President Bush. I mailed a small check ($20) to the president at the White House. As luck would have it, I mailed it just before the anthrax scare at the post office in Washington, D.C. Around November 2002, I received a letter with my un-cashed check. It explained that a lot of donations had ended up at the post office and that since so much time had passed, un-cashed checks were being mailed back. It said we could send another check to America's Fund for Afghan Children. I did. It's now 2005, and I've never received my canceled check. What might have happened and was that a legitimate fund?

Answer: America's Fund for Afghan Children is legitimate -- set up by the White House, with funds disbursed by the American Red Cross.

A spokeswoman for the Hawaii Chapter of the Red Cross checked with the national office, which said the program is "still under way." Checks can be made out to America's Fund for Afghan Children and sent c/o The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC 20509-1600.

You can contact the local Red Cross to see if it might somehow be able to trace what happened to your check. However, the Web site explaining what the fund is -- www.redcross.org/services/intl/0,1082,0_55_,00.htmlwww.redcross.org/services/intl/0,1082,0_55_,00.html -- says donors receive a receipt in the mail at a minimum of two weeks after the donation is processed.

Considering it's been more than two years since you sent it, it looks like your check somehow got lost.

America's Fund for Afghan children was created in October 2001, when President Bush asked American children to send $1 or more to help the children in Afghanistan.

The White House processes the donations, then sends them on to the American Red Cross, which says it uses "100 percent of all donations received to support direct relief and development programs for Afghan children. All overhead costs will be covered by the American Red Cross."

The American Red Cross works with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other humanitarian organizations to provide food, shelter and medicine to Afghan children.

At last report, nearly $12 million had been donated.

Q: Can someone go to the main police station on Beretania Street to renew their motor vehicle registration and driver's license?

A: No. You can renew your registration online (www4.co.honolulu.hi.us/mvrreg/default.asp), by mail or by going to any satellite city hall (call 527-6695 for hours and addresses).

You can renew your driver's license Monday through Friday at driver licensing stations at Fort Street Mall, City Square on Dillingham Boulevard, Wahiawa, Pearl City, Windward Mall (Saturday also), Kapolei and Waianae (Monday and Wednesday only).

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