How You Can Help Newtown

If you're looking for ways to help after the tragedy in Newtown, here are some things you can do. (Reuters reminds us to donate through well-known and established organizations in order to avoid scams.)

• If you want to volunteer in the area, call the state's emergency response number, (800) 203-1234, or contact the United Way.
• Send donations to the United Way's Sandy Hook School Support Fund, which will help victims with funeral expenses, counseling, and more.
• You can also donate to the My Sandy Hook Family Fund, an organization formed by parents of children who survived the shooting to help the victims' families.
• Other organizations accepting donations to help victims' families: Newtown Youth and Family Services, Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company, Sandy Hook Elementary School Victims Relief Fund, Newtown Memorial Fund, Newtown Rotary Sandy Hook School Fund, Newtown Parent Connection.

• You can also donate to individual relief funds for some of the affected families: Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Memorial Fund (CT Teachers Credit Union, PO Box 2121, Waterbury, CT 06722), Friends of the Engel Family Fund, Emilie Parker Fund, Noah's Ark of Hope Fund, Victoria L. Soto Memorial Fund for Education (via the Adzima Funeral Home), James R. Mattioli Memorial Fund (c/o Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main St., Newtown, CT 06470), Dylan Hockley Memorial Fund (34 Charter Ridge Road, Sandy Hook, CT, 06482), Chase Kowalski Scholarship Fund (c/o People's Bank, 470 Monroe Tpke., Monroe, CT 06468).
• Sign the national sympathy card on Causes.com.

For more, see USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Newtown Bee, Reuters, and the Huffington Post. (More Sandy Hook Elementary School stories.)