As Coloradans donate funds to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, some local charities are taking notice.
A dinner gala to benefit the Colorado Children’s Campaign was shelved and some smaller nonprofits – especially those involved in human services – are feeling pinched because of all the attention going to Katrina. And now Hurricane Rita is poised to create further havoc and perhaps siphon off even more donations to victims in the South.
Support for the Colorado Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walks in some Colorado cities was down earlier this month compared to years past, said Linda Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of the association.
“There was a definite impact on the size of the crowds,” Mitchell said. “There are only so many places people can be, and only so many things people can contribute to.”
Memory walks were held in Burlington, Colorado Springs, Fort Morgan, Grand Junction and Pueblo less than two weeks after Katrina.
But people participating at a Denver event held this past Saturday rebounded to numbers more in step with past walks.
“We were quite relieved to see the number of people who came out on Saturday,” Mitchell said. “We were very grateful.”
The association hasn’t tallied dollar amounts yet, Mitchell said. When it does, a portion of the Colorado proceeds will be earmarked to help Alzheimer’s associations in the South with Katrina victims.
A fund raiser put on by the Denver magazine 5280 scheduled for last Thursday benefitting the Colorado Children’s Campaign is postponed.
“We explored all of our options, but 14 Katrina events popped up this week,” said Keely Rubis, marketing manager of 5280. “We can take a step back and let people give where they want and to focus on Katrina.”
A temporary pinch on giving to smaller, local charities is not unusual after a catastrophic disaster like Katrina, said Hank Goldstein, chairman of the Giving USA Foundation.
But that pattern usually doesn’t last long, he said.
“It’s relatively short term, then charities get back to normal,” Goldstein said.
So far, Americans have donated about $1 billion to Katrina relief efforts. And although the number is laudable, it’s less than one percent of the $248 billion total given to charities in the United States in 2004.
In Colorado, $7 million has been donated to the American Red Cross alone to aid Katrina victims.
“It is wonderful to see the community at-large get together and support the Hurricane Katrina survivors,” said Greta Ritchey, spokeswoman with the Denver Rescue Mission.
Still, donations to the rescue mission are down and the trend started in July before Katrina was even on the horizon.
The mission hasn’t tallied September donations yet, Ritchey said. October through December are typically the non-profit’s best fund-raising months.
“We are really hoping we can make up some of the ground we’ve lost,” Ritchey said. “That support has to continue in order for us to keep changing lives.”
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-820-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
