Friday, November 30

Wonkette publishes Paige Roberts photo

From Wonkette:

Paige Roberts is the Executive Director of the Southeast Mississippi Chapter of the Red Cross (and a former television reporter). She, like Everson, is married with two children, so I’m sure they had lots to talk about after they finished bumping uglies other than the fact that her house was destroyed by Katrina (and that the Red Cross was destroying her marriage). Let’s hope they also talked about what to do if she got knocked up, because two senior officials at the national Red Cross told the NY Times that she’s carrying his child. Like, seriously? How open about your sex life at the office do you have to be for your underlings to know your mistress is preggers?

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

No matter which way you look at the story... it's just sad.

"a fundraiser" said...

Thanks "fundraiser" - you always have the best posts on Fridays

Anonymous said...

Her bio on the Pascagoula Rotary Club website:

Paige Roberts is the executive director of the Southeast Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross, serving both Jackson and George Counties. August 11, 2007 will mark three years in that position. Paige moved to Pascagoula January 1, 1993 to work in the Jackson County Bureau of WLOX-TV as a reporter/photographer. It was her first job after earning a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri.

Paige has also worked as the public relations director for Commissioner Curt Hebert, Jr. at the Public Service Commission. She taught journalism at Pascagoula High School for five years where she developed the broadcast journalism curriculum for the State of Mississippi Department of Education. Paige was the Director of Communications for the Pascagoula School District in 2003.

Paige is a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula. She is married to Gautier City Judge and Pascagoula attorney Gary Roberts. They live in Gautier with their two sons, Winston age 6 and Quincy age 2. Both Gary and Paige are runners, and the family enjoys sports and outdoor activities as well as reading and music.

http://www.pascagoularotary.org/ourleaders.html

Anonymous said...

No matter how you look at it two families are significantly impacted by bad personal decisions.

Anonymous said...

Is she still employed by the Red Cross or was she also asked to resign?

sharon smith said...

if you want to see how Paige was able to make her own rules up with Red Cross Funds check out the 100 homes in 100 days program. An audit will show where the Red Cross took homeowner money, and did not do the work.
An audit of this program is warranted due to the fact that mostly poor uneducated homeowner have no clue that they have been robbed of the serivces they deserved

Anonymous said...

I went through three phases in this whole story; shock first, then amusement (thank you NY Post), then sadness, as two clearly bright people have hurt many others (not to mention a yet to be born child). Mark Everson was in my college dorm, and part of our group. He was a very bright guy, and clearly successful (so what if he couldn't be bothered to show up at a football game). I guess there is a thing as too much success, or love is blind, or some combination. It's a shame they both couldn't figure out how to minimize the impact on everyone else, or didn't try.

Anonymous said...

Sharon smith....we would like to speak to you concerning your comments on 100 homes. is there an email we can use?

"a fundraiser" said...

Sharon makes some big charges against the 100 homes in 100 days program... but from what I've been able to find... it looks like the program worked fine.

http://www.100homes100days.com/press.htm

I too would be interested to learn more about these claims.

Kirby Sommers said...

To anonymous: Sharon Smith has been told to be silent by Jim Yancey at the expense of a lawsuit. Thing is Smith isn't telling tales -- she's telling the truth which many people in the area know about. If you want to speak with someone who's heard about all of it contact me. I'll speak with you if you're a reporter.

Kirby Sommers
help@katrinahomedrive.org

Kirby Sommers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Red Cross in Red Hot Seat Again: 100 Woes, by Kirby Sommers

Program Allegedly Misappropriated Katrina funds

A Red Cross program, 100 Homes in 100 Days, formed to address the biggest issue remaining in Katrina recovery: affordable housing for families impacted by Hurricane Katrina in Pascagoula, Mississippi is being accused of alleged mismanagement of funds, poor oversight, and defrauding dozens of unsuspecting families.

A Red Cross Press Release dated March 26, 2007 states:

“Five organizations lead a coalition effort to renovate and rebuild 100 homes in 100 calendar days. The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Mississippi Home Again, Hope Has a Face Foundation and Jackson County Community Services Coalition have created a project process that focuses on rebuilding entire neighborhoods in a compressed timeframe.”

“I believe there’s collusion on the part of Mark Everson and Paige Roberts on the 100/100 program,” one recovery specialist, who wishes to remain anonymous, told me during a recent interview.

You read it right: that would be the same Mark Everson who just got canned from the Red Cross and the same Paige Roberts who was named as Everson’s married mistress -- CEO of the Southeast Mississippi Red Cross chapter.

The recovery specialist added, “Working with the Long Term Recovery Committee we have roundtable meetings and everyone has oversight. Except for Paige, she told us she had been given a waiver from the national office, so all they did was ask for money with just the person’s name, no receipts, no paperwork, and got as much as $30,000.00 for each home.”

According to an article in the Mississippi Press dated July 5, 2007, the project ended on the 4th of July with only 65 homes completed.

Jim Yancey of the Jackson County Community Services Coalition is quoted in the article as saying “We will finish all 100 homes.”

Here’s where we can start dissecting this. First, it is not 100 homes, the real number of homes in the project is 99. At some point someone decided 100 was better for generating publicity and it became known as the 100 Homes 100 Days Project.

100/100, as it is referred to within the agencies, was funded through the Red Cross’s Means to Recovery program (another heavily criticized Red Cross Katrina help project) allotting a cap of $20,000 to be used per home. The Salvation Army added another $10,000.

Roberts has allegedly tapped into all funding available for every home in the project. But none of the families in homes either demolished or yet to be completed know their portion of the money has been used up.

“Where is the money?” A second recovery specialist, also wishing to remain anonymous, asked with concern. “If you request funding once, you can’t go back and ask for more funding. You have to follow the proper channels and that wasn’t done. The Red Cross broke its own rules. All of us have to follow Red Cross’s rules. But not Paige.”

And there's more. None of the families were given a case worker, although each one was assigned one with Red Cross. Then there’s the issue of extra money Roberts is reported to have requested and received from national headquarters in Washington, D.C. to hire more case workers.

“You can’t draw $30,000 for someone’s home and put $5,000 of it in that home and then use the other $25,000 somewhere else. The Red Cross did that in every case that I can think of!” A former relief group director, who also wishes to remain anonymous exclaimed. “I have relatives that have a home in that area and I haven’t disclosed this to them because I don’t know what to do after that. There was no accountability, no oversight.”

Every person I spoke with said they contacted ARC's national headquarters about the problem but their pleas for help went unanswered.

Another well known nonprofit, which I won't mention here, has spoken with some of the local groups about finishing the project. The problem is all parties are concerned they won’t be able to do this without exposing misappropriated donor dollars on the part of Paige Roberts and the Red Cross.

Wait a minute: where's the concern for the well being of survivors? In my opinion, they come first. That's who the money was intended for. But, by now, it's pretty clear Red Cross has lost sight of their mission in the Hurricane Recovery Program.

Accountability and disrespect for donor dollars is at the heart of the matter. The Red Cross, despite its countless debacles and cries from the public for transparency, continues to operate with virtually no oversight.

On December 7th just days after firing Mark Everson the American Red Cross quietly stated they found no financial wrongdoing on the part of their ousted Chief Executive Officer.

According to Carrie Martin, a Red Cross spokeswoman, the review of Mr. Everson’s spending focused on travel costs and expenses reports. It was conducted in-house by the charity’s office of investigations, compliance and ethics, under the direction of the general counsel.

A forensic audit was supposed to have taken place. These types of audits aren’t usually concluded as quickly as Everson’s was. No documentation was ever produced to the public, nor is any forthcoming.

And how is it that CEOs of large organizations and politicians caught with their pants down normally get ravaged by the media with their follies as front page fodder for days, even months on end but this juicy tidbit within the largest nonprofit on the planet, gets only three mentions in the press? One of which was local.

The buzz stayed on the internet.

With the media protecting the Red Cross and not caring enough to cover any more Katrina related topics, thank goodness for outlets like blogs and news forums and online publications. Which, of course, leads to more revelations…

Did I mention Everson sent his daughter to stay in Roberts home for three weeks to work as an interim during the summer? Hmmm….

And, as for whether or not Mrs. Roberts, who is now expecting Everson’s child will get fired or not – seems she’s got the upper hand.

It is rumored the Board of Directors have requested her resignation, among other things. But the Mississippi Queen has no intention of going anywhere anytime soon. Someone is stepping down, but it isn’t Paige Roberts. Off with their heads, the Queen has commanded.

Kirby Sommers

Kirby Sommers said...

100 Homes in 100 Days: Red Cross Red-Handed, by Kirby Sommers
.
Information about stolen and misappropriated Katrina donations continues to pour in -- almost as quickly as those donations did more than two years ago.

A SNAPSHOT:

Regarding new revelations, watch out for the names Jim Yancey and Keith Canfield: originators of the 100 Homes in 100 Days program. "A total scam," several sources have repeatedly said of the program.

"Both these guys are now frantically trying to finish the 100 Home Project because of the scrutiny you have generated." Another source wishing to remain anonymous confided in me.

Paige Roberts, pregnant paramour of axed CEO Mark Everson, is in no way cleared of alleged misuse of donations. Fingers continue to point in her direction, along with others who worked with this program.

Questions and answers swirl much like the hurricane which preceded these allegations.

Did Paige Roberts have an affair with Jim Yancey before she moved on to deeper and better known pockets belonging to Mark Everson?

Did Paige Roberts attempt to funnel Katrina donations through Jim Yancey's organization http://jccsc.org/ ?

Does Yancey's organization have any oversight?

Is Keith Canfield the same Keith Canfield who was sued for committing real estate fraud in Tennessee?

Does Keith Canfield through his organization "Hope has a Face," actually want to bring hope to a people forgotten; or has he used this as yet another way to milk money?

Why has the Red Cross given Yancey even more money in the form of "Mental Health" dollars? Is this yet something else we can thank Paige Roberts for?

Who's afraid of Roberts and her cohorts? Apparently, many people are: national headquarters included. People who have worked close to the situation have said Red Cross is letting her stay on for fear of reprisal in the form of a lawsuit. Don't forget she's preggers and it all happened on ARC's time and Katrina's dime.

A more detailed version of this will follow. For now, I think you've got some more Red Cross dirt to chew on.

Kirby Sommers
2007 Copyright

Kirby Sommers said...

Post Script on "Red Cross Under FBI eye: 100 Homes 100 Days, Kirby Sommers

Red Cross under FBI eye for Alleged Katrina Fraud, by Kirby Sommers

100 Homes 100 Day Program brings Red Cross under Scrutiny Again

For reasons which remain unclear to me, at least one source I interviewed and quoted for the article is now claiming nothing was said to me.

As an avid Katrina advocate and as someone who has been researching missing Katrina donations for two years, I keep copious notes in addition to taping all interviews.

Mention of my tapes was first made when I unearthed the Red Cross's hidden "Means to Recovery" money. Also mentioned was the fact these tapes are copied, given to other volunteers across the country, and then kept in safe deposit boxes.

Anyone who truly wishes to help people should do it with transparency and hold the Red Cross and others accountable not only behind closed doors, but in the light of day. This is the only way to help those in dire need, not just a select few.

Kirby Sommers

Anonymous said...

i worked with mark everson many years ago and i am saddened by his lack of judgment and the pain he has caused his family. i remember him as a person of intelligence, integrity and honesty.

Anonymous said...

i wonder if sommers and smith and others have presented this evidence to local law enforcement or the da or are they just sharing rumors

Kirby Sommers said...

In response to the previous post, I wrote a piece about the investigation of these allegations by the FBI. The entire story can be read on my blog: http://kirbysommers.blogspot.com or just google the words Red Cross, FBI and 100 Homes

Kirby Sommers
Investigative Journalist
and
Katrina advocate

Kirby Sommers said...

Red Cross Saga: 2 divorces, 1 baby and a heap of missing money, by Kirby Sommers

The Red Cross saga continues! Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the tainted blood pool known as the American Red Cross, here's an update on some notorious members.

Both Mark Everson and his "subordinate employee" (source: American Red Cross for quote) Paige Roberts are now free to be together in Mississippi.

Everson and his former wife, Nanette, have officially called it quits. As have Paige Roberts and her former hubby, Gary Roberts. Their divorce was filed on April 3, 2008 and was finalized on June 9, 2008. A quickie if ever there was one. According to an unnamed source: "There were no attorneys and nobody vs nobody." Judge Jaye A. Bradley signed the divorce decree.

The Roberts' children are in the custody of their father, while Paige maintains custody of Everson's love child born on June 18, 2008.

The former Mrs. Everson has custody of the couple's children.

Everson has been seen in Pascagoula, Mississippi jobless and hunting. A source stated he interviewed for City Judge, which happens to have been the job held by Gary Roberts. Double ouch!

Complaints about missing Katrina money continue to pour in getting the attention of not just lil' ole me, but of several attorneys as well. And wouldn't you know it: attorneys everywhere now are looking for that pot of gold too. And, darn it, it's about time. I've been thinking all along "Geez, all that missing money and no attorneys, hum...".

A few people involved with missing Katrina donations have moved themselves along with their websites from Mississippi to New Orleans. Among them: Keith Canfield, Tammy Agard, Johnnie LaCaze, Ed Rutherford and Debbie Dismukes all formerly with Hope Has a Face Foundation and the much criticized 100 Homes in 100 Days project. Seems a new 100 project is currently underway: nola100 – where Canfield continues to collect Katrina donations. Well, you know, for the poor and needy families…

Well folks, that's Katrina relief as its been redefined by the bosses there yonder at the Red Cross. More news to follow, sure 'nuf.

Copyright 2008

Anonymous said...

Ran into Paige after the Tornadoes in Yazoo City. She was doing PR work for the Red Cross.