The Athens Area Community Foundation (AACF), in partnership with United Way of Northeast Georgia (UWNEGA), has created the Community Disaster Relief Fund (CDRF) to anticipate and respond to events that create immediate and long-term financial need for people in the Athens area. The CDRF defines disaster events that are likely in the community and includes policies and procedures for distributing funds to organizations serving the needs of the affected residents.

The CDRF was established with the balance of funds remaining in the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, which was created through the generosity of some 380 individuals, organizations, and businesses. The COVID-19 fund distributed almost $700,000 to nonprofit organizations, school systems, public health agencies, and technical colleges.

“The response of our donors and the community in support of the COVID-19 Community Response Fund was immediate, generous, compassionate, and loving,” said Sarah McKinney, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life, and I am forever grateful to the people, businesses, and organizations who offered their support.”

As the pandemic waned and the needs related to it were reduced, McKinney and Kay Keller, President and CEO of United Way, began to consider how the balance of the COVID-19 Community Response Fund could best be used. “We know that every community is preparing for the range of disaster events that could strike,” Keller said. “And we knew that our organizations are uniquely positioned to provide both financial and programmatic response. It just seemed right to use these funds, which were donated so generously in response to a particular crisis, as the foundation for a broader community disaster relief fund.”

McKinney and Keller invited members of both organizations’ boards to serve on a task force to recommend how the funds would be used and to develop the policies guiding the distribution of funds in the event of a community disaster in the area as defined by the 12 counties in the UWNEGA service area. The theme of “relief” emerged through those discussions.

“As we talked about what we wanted to do and how we wanted to serve the people in our region in the aftermath of a disaster, the word “relief” became a real beacon for us,” McKinney said. “We want to provide relief through a process of making thoughtful and compassionate decisions about how we allocate the gifts that have been made to the CDRF.”

The CDRF defines a disaster as an event -- natural, man-made, or economic -- which causes disruption, destruction, and death and injury on a scale that overwhelms the ability of the community’s resources to maintain stability, save lives, and preserve property. 

Disaster responses should be initiated if there is: 

• significant loss of life, injury, or displacement; 

• significant impact on community members; 

• significant impact on a community’s capacity to respond.

In the wake of a community disaster, McKinney and Keller said, there is often an immediate outpouring of compassion and care and concern. The immediate response to a community disaster is critical but often fades in a few weeks. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, two-thirds of private giving is completed within two months of the event.

“The Community Disaster Relief Fund will take a long-term view,” McKinney said. “While giving in the immediate aftermath of a disaster is crucial, it is equally important that the philanthropic community be prepared to distribute financial resources for as long as our neighbors have needs.”

This is the mission of the CDRF: To gather resources in a fund designated for disaster response; to manage those funds wisely and prudently so that they are available when a disaster occurs; to institute the policies and procedures that will allow for the effective response; to implement those policies and procedures in a manner both effective and kind; and to communicate with government officials, community and civic leaders, and the general public about the existence of the fund and its purpose.

For more information or to make a donation, visit https://athensareacf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list.