Area residents may apply for up to $10,000; application event is Saturday
The Burlington Community Fund will step up for flood victims in a big way by issuing grants of up to $10,000 each for Burlington area residents whose homes and personal property were damaged in this month’s flood.
“That’s what we’re here for,” said Claude Lois, a member of the Burlington Community Fund Board of Directors. “It’s our mission and that’s why we built (Veterans Terrace) – to help the community.”
The Burlington Community Fund is the charitable arm of Veterans Terrace and has issued about $750,000 in cash and in-kind donations to non-profit community groups since 2012, according to Joel Weis, president of the fund board. Late last year, the fund pledged $100,000 to the maintenance fund for the new Burlington Community Pool.
“We never anticipated that we’d be faced with this type of disaster in the area, but we’re committed to helping,” Weis said.
“This is unique for us because we’re used to donating to non-profits. This will be the first time we’ll be giving directly to individuals.”
The commitment to help flood victims comes as Veterans Terrace faces an estimated $160,000 in repairs to the lower level of the facility as the result of the flood.
Lois said the popular reception facility reopened a week after the flood and with the exception of the lower level is meeting its schedule of events. Two events planned for the weekend immediately after the flood were relocated to other facilities. Lois said repairs to the lower level – which includes meeting and storage rooms for the area’s veterans organizations – should reopen in “a couple of months.”
Anonymous donation
The BCF Flood Relief Fund got a major boost from an anonymous organization that pledged matching dollars to the effort. The Community Fund received another donation equaling the anonymous donation from the Lyons-based Wagner Foundation and added a contribution of its own to establish the pool of money that will be used for the flood relief grants.
Lois declined to divulge the total amount of the fund, but said additional donations are still being sought.
Burlington Mayor Jeannie Hefty said Tuesday the city is likely to funnel any funds it has collected for flood relief through the Burlington Community Fund.
Weis said the limit on the amount for individual grants may change based on total funds available. State emergency management officials estimate 231 homes in western Racine County suffered major damage from the flood.
Weis explained the Community Fund intends to put a priority on making grants to those who need help most – people with low incomes who find themselves in a difficult financial situation due to the flood.
Priority will also be placed on grants for necessary household repair such as heating and electrical equipment. However, he said, all grant request will be considered.
The Community Fund is finalizing the application process and should have the grant form available for download on its website – burlingtoncommunityfund.com – by next week, Weis said.
Damages will be verified using information gathered by the City of Burlington through the damage assessment process or, in some cases, by visual inspection of the property.
Application event set
Applications will be processed by an independent accounting firm using criteria established by the community fund.
Residents who suffered flood losses are encouraged to download a grant application by clicking here — grant application — or plan to attend a flood relief grant-processing event at Veterans Terrace on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Residents who would like to donate to the flood relief effort may send checks payable to BCF Flood Relief Fund, P.O. Box 546, Burlington, WI 53105. Contributions to the fund may also be made in person at Fox River State Bank or online at burlingtoncommunityfund.com
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