About a third of $4.3 million raised for the relief of victims of the Amish schoolhouse shooting at Nickel Mines has been spent, the Nickel Mines Accountability Committee said in a statement this morning.
The remainder will be placed in a trust fund to cover long-term care, the committee said.
The victims include five young girls severely wounded by Charles Carl Roberts IV when he invaded the West Nickel Mines School last Oct. 2. The gunman shot 10 girls in the head, killing five, then killed himself.
The accountability committee reported on the condition of the wounded girls. It said the Amish community plans no public events to mark the anniversary of the shootings.
The report was released by Herman Bontrager, a New Holland insurance executive and longtime spokesman for the Amish. Bontrager attends regular meetings of the committee and serves as its adviser.
The nine-member committee, composed largely of Amish, began meeting immediately after the Oct. 2 shootings to process donations provided through various funds.
Numerous area fundraisers, including a motorcycle ride, quilt auction and sales of artworks, raised thousands of dollars. Individual and corporate donors contributed thousands more in amounts ranging from $5 to $500,000.
In a 3 1/2-page statement, the committee reported that funds have been used for medical, rehabilitative surgery, physical therapy and counseling services for the victims and their families.
The statement said the Amish are employing counselors to "assist them in developing ways to cope with the emotional trauma from their losses or from survivor's guilt.''
Other funds have been used for transportation for victims and families, for additional living expenses for families of victims and for lost income.
Money has been set aside for personal care and renovations to make the home of 7-year-old Rosanna King, the most seriously wounded girl, handicap accessible.
The committee has made contributions to the charity funds of several medical providers and volunteer services that responded to the crisis. It also will pay for special rescue equipment that public authorities can use in similar emergencies.
A contribution was made to Roberts' widow.
Additional funds were contributed to the Amish school committee for construction of New Hope School, which replaced the old school that the Amish destroyed.
Based on an analysis by medical professionals, the accountability committee projects that long-term costs for home care for Rosanna, corrective surgery for others, and counseling for victims and their families will be "substantial.''
These needs will be met by the remaining funds placed into a trust account overseen by members of the Amish community.
Bontrager said anyone wishing to make additional contributions can send them to The Nickel Mines Children's Fund or the Roberts Family Fund, in care of Coatesville Savings Bank, 1082 Georgetown Road, Paradise, Pa. 17562.
The committee thanked the public for providing financial assistance and messages of condolence. It also
commented on the state of the community a year after the shootings.
"To the casual observer 'life goes on' in Nickel Mines, with its daily and seasonal demands of work, school, births, family and church,'' the statement said, "but for the families each day brings with it the pain, grief and questions that remind them of their loss.''
Reporting briefly on the condition of the wounded girls, the committee said four have attended school since last December and two have missed some school days for rehabilitative therapy or corrective surgery.
The parents of Rosanna King and Sarah Ann Stoltzfus provided more detailed updates as part of the statement.
Comatose and sent home to die by doctors last October, Rosanna today remains totally dependent on her family.
"The hardest part has been to see her suffer,'' her parents wrote.
They added, however, that she "smiles a lot, big smiles, and... recognizes family members and a few others and often responds to eye contact with a big smile.''
Sarah Ann's parents noted that she survived severe head injuries and, following extensive treatment, still does not have full vision.
"Her brain surgeon and therapists all said it's a true miracle that she recovered as fully as she did, which we thank God for,'' her parents said.
The statement concluded by thanking the state police and emergency personnel, especially the Bart Township Fire Company, for help during and after the crisis.
"Through shared suffering and pain, in shoulder-to-shoulder labors of love, in mutual respect despite differences,'' the statement said, "the people of Nickel Mines are 'bearing each other's burdens' as they seek solace and healing in their terrible loss.'
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