Former House candidate’s diaper bank foundation falls apart
Amanda La Bell, a Bend woman who was running for Oregon House District 54, is in hot water again after all six of its board members of her nonprofit organization, The Rebecca Foundation, resigned at the same time.
La Bell previously made headlines for lying to the public about her education in her Voters Pamphlet statement and ended her House campaign shortly afterward.
NewsChannel 21 has learned from former leaders with the group that their resignations stem from claims La Bell was not being responsible with the organization’s money.
Allison Snoddy was the foundation’s regional manager in the Midwest for a time. She said Wednesday she quit months ago because she’d had enough of the alleged mishandling of funds and lack of transparency.
“No one knows what happened to the money,” Snoddy said. “Thousands upon thousands of dollars. A grant from the National Diaper Bank is probably missing — grants from Walmart, Target, grants that are hundreds and thousands of dollars are just gone.”
The Rebecca Foundation is defined as a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families who wish to cloth diaper/natural parent their children but are unable to due to financial restraints. On Oct. 1, board members sent a letter stating their complaints and resigning “effective immediately.”
The letter reads in part, “Several board members privately requested the CEO step into a non-executive role. She declined and instead directed us to announce her resignation. We have made the painful decision to separate from The Rebecca Foundation. We hope we will be able to continue to work toward the mission of making cloth diapers accessible for all families.”
Now, Snoddy is sending out an apology of sorts for the mistakes the foundation made.
“I truly believe that the board just didn’t understand how the board was supposed to function,” Snoddy said. “They were just so involved that they just didn’t see, even when I came out and other people came out. We were all very mad about what happened, and I think understandably so.”
Many volunteers with the organization told NewsChannel 21 they were concerned about the loss of diaper donation services in Central Oregon.
Troy Moore, the chief of external affairs with the National Diaper Bank Network, said one only has to reach out to fill the hole The Rebecca Foundation left behind.
“Certainly, if there are supporters of The Rebecca Foundation in Oregon, or throughout the country, that would like to reorganize and become a member of the National Diaper Bank Network again, we’re more than happy to look at that and consider the application,and we would encourage people to so.” Moore said.
“We welcome all support for organizations and individuals who are looking to help children and families address diaper need, which we know impacts one in three families throughout the country,” Moore added.
NewsChannel 21 has reached out to Amanda La Bell for comment. She has not yet returned our calls.
