ST. GEORGE — Proceeds from numerous fund drives are being funneled into a special nonprofit trust recently established to help area flood victims.
"We wanted to make sure funds were going in the right place, which means the money ultimately will be used to help flood victims," said Mark Peterson, a volunteer member helping to organize the Virgin River/Santa Clara River Flood Relief Inc.
The organization has applied for the tax-deductible status of a 501c3 with the Internal Revenue Service.
"We are really excited about the trust," said Peterson, who also is the executive director of cultural affairs at Dixie State College. "One hundred percent of these funds will go to individuals who lost their homes or property."
The Santa Clara River destroyed at least 17 homes when it rushed over its banks in early January. More than 30 additional homes were declared unsafe or condemned by officials.
President Bush signed a federal disaster declaration on Tuesday, but that designation will only provide funds to help repair public infrastructure. Utah's loan of $25 million to Washington County must also be spent on public property repairs. At least $150 million in public and private property was destroyed or seriously damaged.
"Federal programs and institutions tend to look at the infrastructure: rebuilding roads and bridges," said Clifford Dunn, president of the flood relief trust fund. "We're here to help rebuild lives."
Already in the trust fund's account is $50,000, with $30,000 more committed by individual donors, Dunn said.
"I had one individual hand me a $30,000 check. Another wrote a check for $10,000," he said. "A lot of people are digging deep."
A steering committee of community members already has met several times to set up trust guidelines, and a board of trustees is already working to assign committee members to disperse the funds.
"We need to have people identify themselves to the committee as to their needs," said Dunn. "We need to know who has what needs."
Funds will be distributed based on those needs, he said.
"It's obvious if somebody lost a second vacation home, they don't have the same needs as a family that lost everything," Dunn explained. "We'll move as quickly as we possibly can with this. The thing that's nice is that there's no overhead at all. "
Donations can be accepted at most area banks under the trust fund name, which Dunn said must be written on the check.
"We can't have donations designated to particular individuals, though," he added. "We need to be able to help anybody who needs help."
Fund-raisers began immediately after the flooding subsided, and donors were initially unsure where to put the money. St. George Mayor Dan McArthur asked donors to refrain from giving more money to the Red Cross because those funds couldn't be used to help rebuild homes.
Zions First National Bank also announced it set up a donation account with $50,000 as startup money that it promised will be used to match individual donations. Several businesses donated services or profits from fund-raisers to the fund as well.
Dixie State College donated the use of its cultural buildings and hosted several concerts and performances that brought in more than $25,000, said Peterson. A student group at the college also raised $1,500 that went into the trust fund.
On Feb. 12, cowboy poetry lovers will get a chance to attend a festival at the college and donate to the cause, Peterson added.
Among the other major fund-raising efforts are a professionally-produced documentary that compiles video and still photos of the flood and a 128-page book of the event, which includes personal stories and news accounts. Proceeds from both projects will be donated to the flood trust fund.
"This project has been created to first document this historical event and second to help raise money and aid for those affected by the flood disaster," said organizers of the film project, Kelly Nyberg and Randy Crosby with InfoWest in St. George.
For more information or to donate to the Virgin River/Santa Clara River Flood Relief Fund, write Dunn at P.O. Box 2318, St. George, UT 84771, or call 435-628-5405.
E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com