Today, funds raised through KC Strong are officially being delivered to victims of the February 14th Super Bowl parade day shooting, and to more than a dozen community organizations doing vital work to help prevent violence in our region, assist victims as they continue to heal, and to support broader mental health, trauma care, preventative/intervention programs and aid for first responders.
In partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs, United Way established a special emergency fund to support our community in the aftermath of the parade day shooting earlier this year. The local, national, and global communities responded in a major way. Donations surpassed $2M from 4,000+ donors ranging from large corporations to foundations, individuals, nonprofit partners and small businesses.
“This effort is emblematic of the power of our community, amplified by United Way,” said United Way Board of Trustees chair, Laurie Roberts. “We know how to mobilize people and resources to respond when needs arise in real-time.”
Over the last four months, United Way partnered closely with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, which undertook a lengthy and rigorous victim verification process to ensure that individual fund recipients were fully vetted by law enforcement authorities. United Way also conducted a comprehensive landscape analysis to select organizational recipients in the fund’s focus areas. As promised, 100% of funds raised have been distributed to victims and community partners, and United Way did not retain any administrative fees whatsoever.
Today, 20 fully verified gunshot victims are receiving direct assistance payments ranging between $20,000 and $100,000. The law firm of Jay Daugherty Mediation and Arbitration was engaged by United Way as outside legal counsel to manage and execute the claimant review process for victims. Attorneys Jay Dougherty and Charles Atwell are former Jackson County judges with deep experience in handling victim loss claims. Their team devised the claimant form in partnership with United Way, but attorneys were solely responsible for reviewing submitted claimant forms issued to each verified victim to determine the amount they would be awarded to cover costs including medical bills, mental healthcare needs, lost wages, and more.
In all, victim payments total $1.2 million. Victims chose their preferred method of payment delivery, including direct deposit or paper check. Following an endorsement by the United Way Board of Trustees on June 26, payments are being initiated, today, June 27.
While the victim verification and claimant review process was underway, United Way simultaneously conducted an in-depth landscape analysis of community nonprofits best suited to receive grants through KC Strong, under our commitment to provide support for organizations working in the areas of violence prevention and intervention, mental health services and recovery, and aid for first responders. Fourteen organizations are being awarded grant funding totaling $831,750.61.
“I’m incredibly proud of the Kansas City community. Since we launched the KC Strong Fund, more than 4,000 donors have contributed over $2M to help the victims of this awful tragedy,” said United Way President and CEO Chris Rosson. “Today, we are distributing $1.2M in direct assistance to fully verified gunshot victims and investing $831,750.61 in 14 organizations that will collectively support tens of thousands of community members in the fund’s focus areas for years to come.”
Read the full report on the expenditures of KC Strong, the processes undertaken by United Way since February 14th, and an FAQ document are available with further information here.
