The United for Waukesha Community Fund, launched in response to the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack, will close at the end of 2022. The effort, led by the Waukesha County Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, helped provide crucial aid for those most impacted by the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy, which occurred on November 21, 2021.
The Fund provided a way for more than 15,000 donors to support the victims. Donations from all 50 states and 17 countries have raised more than $6.7 million. The Fund is held at the Waukesha County Community Foundation, and $6.2 million has been disbursed to date supporting victims. Donations will no longer be accepted to this fund after December 31, 2022. In early 2023, all remaining funds will be disbursed to qualified applicants who applied by the deadline in the beginning of 2022.
The Foundation will contact any donors who make gifts to the United for Waukesha Community Fund after December 31, 2022 to discuss redirecting their gifts.
“The community support over the past year has been inspiring. We know how much it has meant to the victims and their families,” said Melissa Baxter, President of the Waukesha County Community Foundation. “The community is still healing, and there remain opportunities to seek help and to continue to offer assistance.”
Other Opportunities
The Foundation partnered with other community organizations to secure federal dollars for the United for Waukesha Resiliency Center. The Center will be operational for the next few years and offer additional resources to those impacted by the parade tragedy. More information is available at unitedwaukesha.org or by calling (262) 522-0243.
There are also two efforts underway for memorials to the parade victims. The Waukesha Christmas Parade Memorial Fund, led by the city’s Parade Memorial Commission, will create a memorial to honor the victims of the Waukesha Christmas Parade as well as provide a place for reflection and healing. More information is available at waukesha-wi.gov/paradememorial.
Another project will honor the tragedy’s youngest victim, Jackson Sparks. The Jackson Sparks Baseball Project Fund will support the Sparks Complex at W.R. Oliver Park that is being renovated and named in Jackson’s honor. More information is available at sparkscomplex.com.
Donations for the Parade Memorial Fund and the Sparks Complex Fund are welcome and can be made online at the Foundation’s Feature Funds webpage.
