This group is a criminal enterprise and not in legal standing as a NPO. When the Houston AIDS community tried to present this fact to the public GBC president sued everybody. AIDS Foundation Houston, AIDS Housing Coalition, OUTSMART magazine, KPRC channel 2 news and others in attempt to bully and silence the truth.
GOD Bless AIDS Charities applied for 501 C 3 exemption many years ago but "forgot" to finalize the process. As well the state of Texas recognition as a registred charity has expired. They are not a legal corp. in Texas attorney general files. The Mayor of Houston 2012 ordered the charities city street solicitation license revoked for acts of misreporting income and mis-use. GBC had a door to door type license to solicit donations; and did not have the street corner license. They no longer panhandle in the city of Houston legally. GBC moved to the county and as of late have not been reported to be seen out anymore. Harris County recently passed new ordinances on charity street corner begging because of GBC criminal activities.
GBC charities started in a small apartment with the president, his wife (using maiden name) and sister-in-law as 3 incorporators. Their son had died of AIDS and the family set up a donation in kind account and became addicted to public donations. The pasted hospice pictures of the man on deaths door all over the web, even craigslist for years and years...endless claims of financial need. So they applied for NPO status and started a charity with only family members as incorporators.
GBC recruited from homeless clinics sick AIDS patients to stand out in the weather and dangerous traffic situations-paying a commission % of what was gathered $. The family started a catering business and leased a big fancy home and all new SUVs. Buying everything under tax exemption and bought with charity dollars gathered from being a fake charity. Several people were seriously injured begging for GBC. One of the crew [personally known to the author] was struck by the bumper of a donor car which sped away hit & run accident. The victim had $25k worth of services on knee surgery, which the tax payer had to pick up thru County hospital district. GBC van crew did not even give the man a ride to emergency room. They only helped the injured man on a bus and paid the fare. The man with AIDS who had mild dementia, the accident victim made $18 that day in income from begging 6 hours for GBC which kept 70% or more of what was taken in. They did not help with medical epxenses $ -0-.
No charitable activity for GBC was ever known by any other AIDS agency in Houston. Beyond paying AIDS patients to beg on street corners there was no public activity visible. The group claimed on their website they gave away mo-peds motor bikes to homeless with AIDS, but this was untrue. They were spotted re-selling the Mo-Peds at the flea market on the weekends. Once, when they were being tailed by a Ch 2 news investigator they served chili to the homeless [which is illegal in Houston to feed from your unsanitary vehicle homeless persons].
According to court testimony during the lawsuit process : The HPD has an active narcotics investigation on GBC. There was a police sting on the GBC president for allegedly paying the crew of beggars in crack cocaine goods. The day the law finally traffic stopped him he was clean, but the investigation is still active according to HPD testimony.
Area AIDS charities met with the senior auditor of NPOs in the state of TEXAS in 2013. The ad-hoc committee had researched & compiled a 24 page report, including a televised reoprt involving fraud allegations. This package was submitted for investigation. The GBC charity registration was confirmed expired; and no paper work or income information had been filed since inception application. The State agreed to open an aggressive investigation. The State does not report outcomes to parties filing complaints. BGC has no legal right to collect public donations.
Shortly after the street crews disappeared....
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The charity people paid me in crack. A van picked me up from my clinic appointment. They had me out on the street corner for hours and hours, until I was ill. I'd earned $23 that day in commissions and that guy Tarver gave me a $50 of rock cocaine. My landlord threw me out for smoking the dope. Three days later my foot was run over when I worked again. I am still limping. I am in recovery now adays. Don't believe them dogs-they lie.
GBC is doing an awesome job for people with aids and homeless in the city of houston. i had alot o concerns as well after seeing the piece on the news. after a little investigating on my own i found out quite a bit of the information presented was incorrect ane a defamition lawsuit was filed on behalf of GBC. I now feel confortable about the support and donations i have contributed to gbc. Their permits are up to date and ive personally seen the donations and clothes drives at work.
hopefully more of you will come to your own positive conclusions
I was hit up for a donation on the corner of Hilcroft and Richmond. They stated they were with the "United Way" - well, they aren't!!! The guy who was begging said they paid him to collect money and tell people that. Nice. Shame on them for sucking the dollars out of Houstoninans to line thier own pockets. The testing help they say they do is simply printing a list of labs that provide testing for doctors. Thier non-profit status should be removed.
When i first saw this charity i thought they were just like all the rest but as time came along i started to see them everywhere on each corner. The people were smiling and passing out flyers on HIV and Aids awarness. they worked all the time they handed out clothes and food downtown one time at star of hope it was so nice. I learned alot of things about the hiv disease that is tearing down our community and many others. At first i didnt think it was that close to home but later found out that over half of the community has the disease and continues to spread it but with this charity going from place to place and keeping the subject alive it helps many people face reality and be alot more careful.
Houston, TX - Calvin Tarver and his family lost a son to IV drug use & AIDS. The family now uses his sad death to promote their in-house charity. They publish his death mask photos and pay all their bills off his memory. Ol' Tarver who has no other visible means of support other than the charity checking account employs handicap, drug users and mental retarded people, to beg for donations on dangerous street corners, all over the city. His family charity " God Bless HIV-AIDS" has been deemed by the public as doing little or nothing to help the AIDS communities by AIDS cvommunity leaders. The questionable group in existence for years with a registraion number, has to date - no public filing of taxes or income with the IRS. When a local TV station KPRC TV 2 did an undercover video about his suspicious actions Papa Tarver began suing everyone in sight. Court records show he has filed frivolous lawsuits like they were candy- he sued several of the more legitimate AIDS agencies for publicly questioning his integrity. One of those agencies is AIDS Foundation Houston -AFH which provide basics for thousands of Houstonians infected with HIV & AIDS with shelter, food bank and other social services. Tarver has also sued KPRC TV 2 Television owners and reporter Amy Webb. Calvin Tarver has publicly announced repeatedly that he gave away 5,000 pieces of donated clothing; and a served pot of chili for the TV cameras to the homeless ( against food & safety health code). As director and board Chair he admits that his main activity is to increase awareness of AIDS is to hand out info cards at intersections. Tarver has a City of Houston solicitation permit for door to door begging and reports income from $45,000 to $100,000 to the city auditors. His people are not legally allowed on the street corner -- for numerous violations of city codes. The police are just confused about the type of license he is permitted with when on scene. My homeless crack addicted aquaintence, Mr. JM worked (1) day for the group and earned $6 in commissions. Mr. J/M mows my yard from time to time and called me one day from a clinic to hit me up for money. Seems during his begging training with the God Bless charities Mr. JM injured his knee, by being struck by a moving vehicle, at a low speed. He was then fired by Tarver's managers, abandoned and forced to ride a bus to Ben Taub. The tax payers of Harris County paid out nearly $ 3,400 for his indigent E/R bill to look at his knee. Calvin Tarver can sue everyone he wants, but he is still a "questionable charity". In Texas innocent folks who are sued by frivilous nuisance lawsuits are entitled to counter sue and recover legal fees and damages for the bullying. I just hope these fine upstanding non profits counter sue Tarver for his greedy behaviour. from http://houston.craigslist.org/vnn/1186393740.html
