Thursday, April 25, 2013
Newtown foundation increases disbursement to $7.7M
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The foundation overseeing the largest pot of donations sent to Newtown following the December massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School announced today it is nearly doubling the amount of its initial disbursement.
The Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, which oversees about $11 million, said it would increase the amount of money going to the 40 families most affected by the tragedy from $4 million to $7.7 million.
The funds will be distributed by May 23, the foundation said.
The beneficiaries will include the families of the 26 people killed, 12 surviving children from the classrooms where people were shot and the two people wounded during the shooting.
Dr. Charles Herrick, a member of the foundation’s board of directors, said the decision came as a result of meetings with family members, who said they would prefer one lump-sum dispersal, rather than having the money sent to them over time.