Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Governor Charlie Baker, Local Officials Annouce Essex County Community Foundation Greater Lawrence Disaster Relief Fund Columbia Gas contributes $10 million to provide support to community
Lawrence – Yesterday, Governor Charlie
Baker joined Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, Andover and North Andover Town Managers
Andrew Flanagan and Andrew Maylor, officials from the Essex County Community
Foundation (ECCF), state agencies and non-profit organizations to announce the
establishment of a humanitarian relief fund to be named the Greater Lawrence
Disaster Relief Fund at Essex County Community Foundation. The Fund will help
serve the short and medium term needs of impacted residents, including housing,
sustenance and support services.
“It is our top priority to provide
Merrimack Valley residents affected by this tragedy with the proper assistance
and support to meet their needs during this difficult time,” said Governor
Charlie Baker. “This fund will help us continue to work together with state
agencies, local officials and non-profits to coordinate local recovery efforts
underway as we determine both long and short-term solutions.”
Today, they joined Columbia Gas of
Massachusetts President Steve Bryant to announce a $10 million contribution by
Columbia Gas to the new Disaster Relief Fund being established to coordinate
relief efforts and provide resources in the community.
“ECCF was ready and able to respond to
this tragedy right away with the already existing Lawrence Emergency Fund,”
said Beth Francis, president and CEO of Essex County Community Foundation. “But
it quickly became clear that the scope and magnitude of the Sept. 13 fires
would require a wider purpose of support with a specific objective. The Greater
Lawrence Disaster Relief Fund will allow us all to work together to respond to
the complex and fluid needs that will last for the weeks and months ahead for
all those affected.”
Over the weekend and leading up to
Monday’s announcement, a panel of 21 state and local government officials and
nonprofit leaders met to organize a system for how the needs of those affected
can be most effectively met. Plans for the execution of the new Fund will be
communicated by the end of the week.
Participating state agencies and
organizations will include the American Red Cross, MassHousing, Massachusetts
Emergency Management Agency, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services,
the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Department of
Transitional Assistance, the Department of Children and Families, the Greater
Lawrence Community Action Council and the Essex County Community Foundation.
Donations for the Sept. 13 fire victims
are currently being made to the Lawrence Emergency Fund, a well-established
fund opened in 2009 to respond to emergencies such as fires in the City of
Lawrence, at www.eccf.org/LawrenceEmergencyFund.
Once the new Greater Lawrence Disaster
Relief Fund is formally activated, the donations will be combined. Both funds
will support the work of meeting the needs of people affected in the
communities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover.
For more information, please call Essex
County Community Foundation at 978.777.8876.
About ECCF
The mission of Essex County Community
Foundation is to strengthen the communities of Essex County. We do this by
promoting philanthropy and managing charitable assets, making grants and
engaging in strategic community leadership. Since 1998, ECCF and its family of
more than 200 charitable funds have granted $60 million to nonprofits, schools
and students in Essex County and beyond. Our ultimate goal is to have 34
thriving cities and towns in Essex County and to improve the quality of life
for the region’s nearly 800,000 residents. Learn more at eccf.org.
