$600,000 raised after Chardon school shooting

3/20/2012
BLADE STAFF

CHARDON, Ohio — Two groups that spearheaded efforts to raise funds for victims of a school shooting in northeast Ohio have collected about $600,000 in donations in the three weeks since the tragedy.

The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reports (http://bit.ly/Gzu6yN ) the Chardon Healing Fund and the Chardon Angels of Hope formed soon after the Feb. 27 shooting that claimed the lives of three students and seriously wounded two others at Chardon High School. A 17-year-old boy has been charged in the attack.

The Healing Fund collected about $500,000 of the amount and says its collections are overseen by United Way Services of Geauga County. A member of the board overseeing the fund's plans says she expected to collect about $250,000 but that "the community opened not only its hearts but also its wallets."