keenefloodrecoveryfund.org

 

Frequently Asked Questions about the Keene Flood Recovery Fund

Contents:


How can I contribute to the Keene Flood Recovery Fund?

Write checks to: ACT/Keene Flood Recovery Fund

Mail them to: Adirondack Community Trust, PO Box 288, Lake Placid, NY 12946

You can contribute online using a credit card by way of the ACT's online donation portal which is maintained by the Network for Good. Donating in this manner is safe and secure, and regardless of how you donate, all gifts are tax deductible. Please note that when donating to the Keene Flood Recovery Fund via the Network for Good, you must fill in the line about designation to say Keene Flood Recovery Fund.

We can accept all kinds of financial gifts, including stock, mailed to the same address. For stock transfers, see the instructions for securities transfers. 

Contact Melissa Eisinger 518-523-9904 or mel@generousact.org for more information.

All gifts are 100% tax deductible to the extent permissable by law.

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Where Can I Find an Application?

Click here or pick one up at the Town Hall, the School, the Keene Valley Congregational Church, both libraries and Valley Hardware and most of the other usual locations around Town. 

You can also email Dave Mason dave12942@gmail.com      

You can call or speak with or visit our referral network: Bill Ferebee, Town Supervisor, Cynthia Johnson, KCS Superintendent, and Milton Dudley, Minister, KVCC and John Hudson, Keene Building Inspector.  They will all be able to hand you an application.

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How Do I Submit an Application?

We prefer you drop off your application, in a sealed envelope, at Town Hall, Keene Central School or the Keene Valley Congregational Church (leave it in the mailbox by the office door if no one is there). You can also mail it to Keene Community Trust, PO Box 498, Keene Valley 12943.

Everything you say in your application will be kept confidential.

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Who will review the applications?  How quickly can I expect to receive the funds?

There is a Grant Review Committee composed of 5 people who will review all the grant applications and determine grant amounts. At this time, voting members are: Mike Whitney, Thomas Hickey, Frank Owen, Bob Hickey – one more voting member and a non-voting program assistant are in the process of being confirmed.

We hope to approve applications and cut checks in less than a week. We are just getting started so please bear with us. Your check will come directly from our account at the Adirondack Community Trust. You will need to sign a Grant Acceptance Letter and return it to the Adirondack Community Trust.

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What about the privacy of this information?

Only the Grant Review Committee will see the information you submit. The Adirondack Community Trust and the Keene Community Trust will know the amount of your grant, but no one else will. We ask, please, that you not discuss your grant with the community. You need to trust us to handle this privately and respectfully.

The Grant Review Committee and the grantee acknowledge that release of this information may be needed by FEMA, insurance, the IRS or other recovery efforts.

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What happens if the Fund runs out of money?  Will you grant my full request or part of it?  Can I submit another application later? 

If we run out of money, we must stop giving grants. Initially, we may give smaller grants than people want, or need, so we can help more people. As additional funds come in, there will be added rounds of grants and people will be able to apply for additional grants OR we may contact to you see how things are going and release additional funds based on your first application. 

The decisions about grant amounts in each round cannot be appealed; however, you can ask for additional assistance in the next round.

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We are not a replacement for FEMA or insurance you might have.

We are not a replacement for FEMA or insurance. FEMA forms are available at Town Hall.

If you have any insurance, you should contact your company. A denial of coverage will be needed by FEMA, for example.

We do expect to be able to get people and businesses through the near-term hard times ahead.

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What if you grant me money today, and tomorrow I get insurance or FEMA money?

We want to get funds in your hands fast. But if you get insurance or other disaster relief funds that duplicate our payment to you from the Fund, we expect you to return as much of the grant as possible to the Fund (see: How do I give to the Fund?). These are grants, not loans, but we trust you to do this so we can continue to help as many others as we can. FEMA has the same policy — you should not get paid twice.

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What is the Keene Community Trust (KCT)? What is its role?

KCT is a registered 501c3 non-profit so donations to it are tax deductible. The Board of KCT includes:

Marcy Neville (Town Board)
Bob Biesemeyer (Town Board)
Mike Carr (Nature Conservancy)
Sam Fisk (Ausable Club)
Naj Wikoff

Plus Board Members: Mike Buchanan, Tom Both, Louise Gregg, Paul Martin, Jere Bunn, Larry House.

The KCT Board recruited and approved the members of the Grant Review Committee. KCT is legally responsible for proper distribution of the Fund.

For grants of less than $5,000, one KCT Officer will need to sign off on the Grant Review Committee's recommendation to authorize ACT to release the funds to the Grantee. For larger grants, two KCT Officers need to sign off.

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What is the Adirondack Community Trust (ACT)? What is its role?

The Keene Community Trust could not do this without ACT.

ACT is a large community trust, based in Lake Placid, which processes and manages funds for charities all across the Adirondack Park. It is well equipped to handle rapidly organized fund raising and distribution to grantees.

It will handle all of the operational work and take all the legal responsibility related to these funds.

All donations to ACT are tax deductible. Melissa (Mel) Eisinger at ACT is our contact at ACT. She also happens to be a Keene resident. Her email is mel@generousact.org. Her telephone number is 518-523-9904.

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What is the Keene Flood Recovery Group and what is its role?

Members of this group include:

Marcy Neville (Town Board)
Bob Biesemeyer (Town Board)
Mike Carr (Nature Conservancy)
Sam Fisk
Naj Wikoff

This group of Town residents came together quickly, along with the Board of KCT, to organize this effort, raise money, and organize its fair and prompt distribution.

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Where can I get connected to someone at FEMA?

The Essex County Emergency Operations Center announces that the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), located at the Jay Community Center in Ausable Forks, is officially open. Residents in need of supplies and/or services are encouraged to visit the location.

The center will be staffed with state and federal disaster recovery specialists who can provide information and answer questions about hurricane-related assistance. Operating hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. Also on hand at the Disaster Recovery Center will be representatives from the Small Business Administration who can explain the low-interest loan packages available to individuals, nonprofits and businesses of any size. Essex County Public Health will be available at the Center on Wednesday from 10 AM – 12 noon to offer free Tetanus vaccine for those affected by the Irene disaster.

Senator Schumer has been touring the area today and discussing the damage with local officials led by Randy Douglas, Chair of the Essex County Board of Supervisors and Town of Jay Supervisor. "The DRC is a one-stop resource center for storm-affected residents and small business owners to obtain information and services from County, State and Federal agencies," said Douglas.

People without internet access may call the Emergency Operations Center at (518) 873-3932 or their local Town Hall. If you have Internet, the county website at www.co.essex.ny.us has comprehensive information.

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What are the options for disaster relief for a business?

You need to contact the US Small Business Administration Disaster Customer Service. They can be reached via the web at: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/. You can call them at 1-800-659-2955 (or 1-800-877-8339 for deaf or hard of hearing). You can email them at: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

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