A new foundation has been formed to oversee the more than $9 million that has been donated to the Newtown Fund since the shootings took place Dec. 14.
Soon after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the United Way of Western Connecticut and Newtown Savings Banks set up a fund for donations. The organization, however, did not want to oversee the money, so a transition team was formed to create a foundation that would distribute the funds for charitable purposes.
According to The Hartford Courant, the organization, known as the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation Inc., took two months to create. During that period, members of the team drafted bylaws for the foundation. The transition team officially transferred authority to the foundation, which has former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman as an unpaid advisor. Lieberman met with families of victims on Wednesday to explain how the organization will operate, and to solicit suggestions.
While the foundation is open for business, it is not yet ready to begin distributing money. The board will first consider requests and suggestions that will be vetted by a "distribution committee." According to Newtown Selectman Will Rodgers, who headed the efforts to form the foundation, there is a possibility there will be more than one distribution committee.
Rodgers told The Courant that there is not yet a timetable for when the first funds will be distributed.
You can read the full story in The Hartford Courant.
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