Shawn Hornbeck Foundation in Hot Water with the BBB

The Better Business Bureau is raising concerns regarding the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, asserting that the charity named after the once-missing teenager has neglected to release required financial reports. The foundation, overseen by Hornbeck's parents Craig and Pamela Akers, has reportedly been under the BBB microscope for "years," according to published reports. This could imply that the nonprofit's activity was quietly called into question prior to the boy's recovery last year.

Shawn Hornbeck first made national headlines in 2003 at age 11, when he was kidnapped near his home in Richwoods, Mo., and again in 2007 when he and Ben Ownby, a 13-year-old who was abducted from a school bus stop days earlier, were discovered in the Kirkwood apartment of Michael Devlin. Hornbeck, then 15, is believed to have endured abuse while in Devlin's custody for four years. The pizza parlor employee later pleaded guilty to multiple criminal counts in relation to the boys' kidnapping.

A series of complaints from the foundation's donors and board members were received by the BBB, which set out to hold the foundation accountable for its lack of oversight in portions of the statement:

"Several current and former board members said that Akers and his wife, Pamela, who is listed as secretary of the foundation, have refused to release financial information about the foundation to the board, despite repeated pleas from board members," reads a portion of the statement. "The current and past members also said the board has been largely inactive for more than a year, even though the foundation has continued to operate and raise funds through various events and its web site."

The Shawn Hornbeck Foundation's stated purpose is to help the families of missing children and prevent child abduction. The situation may potentially set a policy precedent for future relations between nonprofit organizations and the BBB.

Sources:

http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Articles-i-2008-12-12-83472.113117_Shawn_Hornbeck_Foundation_Still_Lacks_Oversight.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/12/08/daily24.html