Another ordeal for Newtown: Divvying up donations

By PAT EATON-ROBB
— Jul. 1

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — More than six months after losing loved ones in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, families say dealing with questions over how to distribute the millions of dollars sent to help Newtown heal is instead causing them more pain.

How much should go to the families of the slain children and educators? To the families of the children who witnessed the massacre but survived and will need to pay for years of therapy? To the slain staff members' families, who may have lost a breadwinner? Or to the Newtown community at large? And who gets to make those decisions?

The largest Newtown charity had planned an initial distribution of less than half of its money to victims' families, who raised questions about how the fund arrived at the number. The place they were then given in the process has been difficult, unpleasant and something they shouldn't have had to worry about on top of their grief, families say.

So some families are joining in the idea for a national victims' "compassion fund" along with relatives left behind after other shootings such as those at Virginia Tech, a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Under the proposal, money donated after future tragedies would be sent directly to those most affected, cutting out major nonprofits that are set up to be more focused on the community.

full: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/another-ordeal-newtown-divvying-donations