Thursday, August 8th, 2019
Rotary Disaster Relief Fund disbursed more than $150,000
By William Kincaid
CELINA - The Celina Rotary Disaster Relief Fund Commitee has collected and disbursed more than $150,000 to those affected by the Memorial Day tornado in northwestern Celina and surrounding areas.
The committee's funds, made up of donations that poured in from as far away as New York, have helped 98 people recover from the devastation wrought by an EF3 tornado packing wind speeds of 150 mph. A majority of the donated dollars went to rebuilding efforts, Rotarian Deb Hemmelgarn told the newspaper.
The application window has officially closed, but Rotarians, who have limited funds remaining, will continue to accept and weigh additional requests sent to celinarotary@gmail.com. Also, Rotarians will maintain a minimal amount to keep the account open for future disasters, allowing them to hit the ground running next time, Hemmelgarn said.
She said she's proud of donors who entrusted the club with their money and the committee that put in more than 100 hours setting criteria, reviewing applications and disbursing funds that helped tornado victims and adhered to the donors' intent.
Rotarians created the fund for tornado-recovery efforts. It includes tens of thousands of dollars raised by former NFL quarterback Keith Wenning of Coldwater.
The club at an emergency board meeting agreed to accept the funds Wenning had raised and accept additional donations to provide relief to tornado victims in Celina and surrounding areas.
"We take nothing," Rotarian Dee Uhlenhake said, pointing out that 100% of all donations will go to those in need.
A relief application asked applicants to describe their loss and noted that the fund will not pay for items covered by an applicant's insurance.
Board members reviewed the applications and determined the level of support based on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the most urgent need. For instance, a family losing a home and vehicles and living in a hotel was assigned a ranking of 1.
"I feel like it's our duty and responsibility to be accountable by the donors, by the communities, by the other applicants to look at that and figure out who has the greatest need," Hemmelgarn said.
Celina Rotary Disaster Relief Fund Board members are managing, documenting and accounting for all money raised. The panel is a diverse mix of Rotarians and others representing various fields - Amy Ikerd, attorney; Hemmelgarn, former Mercer County Red Cross Director; Elizabeth Schmackers, insurance; Jeff Gramza, senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church; Uhlenhake, Rotary treasurer; and Ike Coate, Rotary president.
