UCC Strong begins to distribute funds
October 21, 2015, From the Roseburg News-Review: Mere weeks after the shooting on the campus of Umpqua Community College, local nonprofits are dispersing the first of several waves of donations to aid those hurt — physically, emotionally and otherwise — by the tragedy.
On Monday, organizers with the UCC Strong Fund distributed $145,000 to victims, their families and the Salvation Army to allay the mounting costs of hospital bills, travel expenses and even wages that family members have lost while taking time off from work to grieve. Members of the organization went to the homes of 24 families to hand-deliver money. Though the funds won’t replace lives lost, they can ease some of the collateral damages. Organizers called Monday “heart wrenching.”
“It’s kind of mixed emotions,” said Bryan Trenkle, an advisory member for UCC Strong and executive director of Greater Douglas United Way. “We’re able to bless them with some financial assistance, but at the same time they want their loved ones back. Money can’t replace that.... We met with one mom and she said ‘All I want is my child back.’”
