9-11 Charities Shut Their Doors

Amy Kuras — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:33:00 GMT

Remember all that money that poured into 9-11 related charities after the terrorist attacks on that day? Remember the telethon, the concert, all the fundraising?

Well, that money is drying up. Almost seven years after the attacks, the Red Cross distributed the last $40 million to 26 groups it still funded, down from the $1 billion it had right after the attacks that went to more than 100 organizations.

Those groups have slowly gone away as funding has waned. Many donors felt a sense of needing to make a one time response but question the need for ongoing funding.

But organizations that help kids of 9-11 victims say that some are just now beginning to express their feelings about losing their parents in the terrorist attacks, especially some of the younger boys.

It makes sense that kids, especially those who were pretty young when their parents died, are just now getting the language and thought processes to truly grasp what happened. And while such things as music lessons for the families of victims might have run their course, I hate the idea that counseling services, for example, are beginning to shut their doors due to lack of funds.

An estimated 6,000 kids lost parents in the 9-11 attacks. I have to think that losing a parent in such a tragic and public fashion would be the kind of thing you might need to seek help for, long after the money runs out. Lots of us donated money in some desperate attempt to feel like we were doing something to help in the face of such a frightening event. It's kind of disheartening to realize there are still needs yet to be met.

Strollerderby : charity funding

9-11 Charities Shut Their Doors