Community Corner
Thousands Donated After Waukesha Parade Catastrophe
Thousands of dollars have been donated to several different GoFundMe pages toward victims affected by Sunday's parade disaster.
WAUKESHA, WI — Ever since an SUV struck dozens of people at a Christmas parade in Waukesha on Sunday, thousands of people have donated to various causes to help those who were affected by the deadly tragedy.
Thousands of people, including professional athletes and people from other countries, have chipped in to the United for Waukesha Community Fund and various GoFundMe pages to help victims.
Fund Gets Over 6,000 Donors From 12 Countries
The United for Waukesha Community Fund, which aims to help families that were affected, received 6,300 donations from 12 different countries before Thanksgiving Day, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County President Amy Lindner told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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Shelli Marquardt, president of the Waukesha County Community Foundation and co-founder of the fund, said that the range of the support was "overwhelming."
GoFundMe Pages Reach Past Their Goals
Two GoFundMe pages to help the Waukesha Xtreme Dance Team and the Waukesha West High School Band surpassed their goals with thousands of donations. The dance team's GoFundMe reached $100,560 out of a $100,000 goal, and the marching band's GoFundMe campaign reached $209,071 out of a $100,000 goal.
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Tamara Rosentreter, the leader of the Dancing Grannies, was injured Sunday night and gave an account of what happened through a fundraising page set up for her. Nearly $23,000 has been raised via GoFundMe out of a $45,000 goal to help Rosentreter.
"One lady prayed with me in a very tragic moment to help give me peace and comfort another gave me warmth with blankets, another took care of me and I think she was an EMT at the parade," Rosentreter said in a GoFundMe page set up by Amber Knutson.
"This tragedy is so hard to wrap my head around, and we should continue to reach out and and support each other," she added.
NFL Athletes Chip In
Baltimore Ravens guard Kevin Zeitler and Pittsburgh Steelers players Joe Schobert and Derek Watt, who are all from Wisconsin, pledged their help on Tuesday.
"Our primary goal is to have the focus remain on the families who were directly impacted by last weekend's tragedy and to help make sure any financial burdens are taken care of," the three players said in a statement. Their money would go to the fund set up by Lindner and Marquardt.
How To Help
- The United for Waukesha Community Fund is open to online donations, both through the United Way and Waukesha County Community Foundation websites.
- Both Versiti Wisconsin and The American Red Cross host weekly blood drives that go in part to victims.
- Both Tamara Rosentreter and the Dancing Grannies have GoFundMe pages.
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