“Giving unrestricted funding directly to those verified gunshot victims allows them to make the decisions that are right for them and their family and their path forward,” he said.
Kera Mashek, communications director of the local United Way, said the money falls under the umbrella of needs-based assistance and won’t be taxed.
United Way worked with the Jackson County, Missouri, Prosecutor’s Office to verify victims. Only 20 of the 24 victims were compensated because two did not apply and a third turned down the donation, United Way officials said. A fourth, unnamed victim was denied funds because he is connected to the criminal case, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
None of the victims were named in the June 27 announcement.
Emily Tavis said she felt “beyond blessed and overwhelmed with appreciation” to receive the assistance. Tavis; her partner, Jacob Gooch Sr.; and stepson, Jacob Gooch Jr., were all shot at the parade.
“It’s a huge relief that bills are going to get caught up and paid and then some,” Tavis said. She had already started paying off credit card bills with her portion of the payout.
Antonio Arellano, whose 11-year-old son, Samuel, was shot in the side, said the money was a “really big help” for the family.
He said Samuel is hoping for a vacation to Florida and season tickets to see the Chiefs play football. But being in large crowds is still difficult for Samuel, so Arellano said they’ll try attending one game first to see how it goes.
James Lemons, who recently had the bullet lodged in his leg removed, said he appreciated the aid and feels blessed, but also feels as if the money is already gone. He wants to pay back the assistance the family received in the aftermath of the shooting, including money he borrowed to help them relocate after their landlord sold their rental home soon after the parade.
So far, three adults and three minors have been charged in the shootings, along with three men who face federal charges of trafficking illegal guns or lying to FBI agents.
More than 80 people were trampled in the melee after the shootings, Baker said, adding that they are also among the many victims of the attack. They will not, however, receive money from the fund.
Campaigns like #KCStrong that emerge in the wake of mass shootings must balance distributing the money broadly enough to include people directly affected without dissipating the available resources, according to Jeff Dion of the Mass Violence Survivors Fund. The nonprofit organization has helped communities across the country distribute such funds.
The OneOrlando Fund, which emerged after the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, for example, made a range of payments, including $350,000 to the families of each of the 49 people killed, but also $25,000 each to 182 people who were at the nightclub but weren’t physically injured. That fund raised $29.5 million compared with the $2 million raised in Kansas City.
The $31.4 million fund that emerged in Las Vegas in 2017 after a mass shooting at a concert with 22,000 attendees did not include payments to people who were not injured. As many as 1 million people attended the Super Bowl parade in February.
“When you’re dealing with actual dollars, you have to find a way to be able to serve the most people with the most amount of money,” Baker said. “So I think that was probably some of the decisions that had to be reached in this case, which is difficult, hard, but also necessary.”
The community groups, which each received $59,410, are: AdHoc Group Against Crime; Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City; Center for Conflict Resolution; Guadalupe Centers; Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission; KC Common Good; KC Mothers in Charge; Lyrik’s Institution; Newhouse Domestic Violence Shelter; Rose Brooks Center; Transition Zone; The Battle Within; Uncornered; and University Health.
Other efforts have directed money to survivors of the Super Bowl parade shooting as well. GoFundMe accounts have raised $667,785. A faith-based group called “The Church Loves Kansas City” raised $184,500 and so far has spent more than $50,000 in funeral expenses, medical procedures, counseling, and living expenses, said Gary Kendall, one of the leaders.
©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
 - Shopify)