POINTS OF LIGHT, ACRES OF WASTE

A foundation that took its name from President George Bush's earnest call to end poverty has been spending most of its budget on overhead and administration, the Los Angeles Times reported today. The Points of Light Foundation, which seeks to corral executives to volunteer in their communities, has granted $4 million to actual service providers -- 11 percent of its budget -- while spending $22.2 million on promotions, salaries, travel and administrative expenses in the four years of its existence, the newspaper said. In that time, the organization received $26.6 million in federal funding. The foundation's name was drawn from President Bush's call to boost volunteerism in his 1988 acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.