Our Hospice of South Central Indiana wants to warn you of a fund-raising effort that is going on in the community, but which is completely unrelated to the local hospice.

Suzie Singer, spokeswoman for the local hospice, says that fundraising letters are going out in the area that appear to be local, but are actually coming from Virginia. And no money sent to that agency will make its way to the Columbus hospice.

The donation form from the Virginia group says it is sending you the “2016 Columbus Area Appeal for their Annual Fund Drive for the Hospice Support Fund.” But the company is based out of Merrifield, Virginia and uses about 70 percent of the money it raises to do even more fundraising, Singer says.

Singer said that fundraising appeals for the local hospice will always display the hospice logo and provide local contact information. She says the local hospice is a not-for-profit and depends on donations to help families in its 15-county service area.