More than $6.2 million raised for Waukesha Christmas Parade victims, money being dispersed

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- More than $6.2 million dollars has been raised for victims of the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack. Now, that money is being given out to those who need it.

More than 560 people impacted by the attack are getting much needed financial support.

The United for Waukesha Community Fund is bridging the gap between victims and donors.

"Those donors came from our community, of course, but they also came from every state in the United States and 17 other countries. So it really is inspirational that people heard about what happened and they wanted to help," said Melissa Baxter, president of the Waukesha County Community Foundation.

The money will be given out this week.

The deadline to apply for this round was Feb. 28.

The funds will go to the families of the six people killed, those physically hurt at the parade and those who were treated for injuries at the parade. This includes first responders and medical professionals.

Three mental health organizations will also receive grant money.

To divide the funds, staff at the Waukesha County Community Foundation say they used proven strategies from other tragedies in other communities.

One variable was how many days a person was in the hospital.

A 5% contingency, $310,000, will remain in the fund for re-hospitalizations.

"Our team has read all of the claim forms so we have gotten to hear the stories of the people and how impacted they have been by what happened. And so to kind of be the representative of those 15,000+ donors who want to help, it's a little overwhelming but it is also affirming about who we are as people and that people want their neighbors to be OK," she said.

You can still donate to the United for Waukesha Community Fund. It will remain open through December 31, 2022 with the final round of money being dispersed starting in January 2023.