The events of February 7, 2008 affected the Dean family and their
employees directly, as we have been a business member of the Kirkwood
community since 1995.
We decided to do what we could to help the families of this tragedy.
We have opened an account at Bank of America to accept donations, and
have placed a donation link on this site. All funds collected will go
to the families of those lost. We have placed a donation of
$10,000 in the account and hope to reach a goal of $100,000.
What does the Benefit Fund do?
The Benefit Fund's mission is to provide assistance to the families of those
lost at the Kirkwood City Council meeting on February 7, 2008..
The Benefit Fund gives financial assistance to grieving families immediately
after they lose their loved one. Our goal is to raise enough funds to provide
meaningful distributions.
How many families are helped by the Benefit
Fund?
Five people lost their lives. Those lost were Kirkwood
Police Sgt. William Biggs, Police Officer Tom Ballman, Councilwoman Connie
Karr, Councilman Mike Lynch and Public Works Director Kenneth Yost.
How can I make a difference and make a gift?
You can make a gift online using the donate link on the left,
or call Shannon Swinhart, (636) 591-0500
or make a donation directly to the Benefit Fund Account:
Kirkwood Memorial for the Families Benefit Fund
C/O Bank of America
15115 Manchester Rd
Ballwin, MO 63011
The donation link is processed by PayPal, though you don't
have to have a PayPal account. You can also use any credit card.
What percent of my donation goes to the beneficiaries?
Relying upon its strong base of volunteers, the Benefit Fund operates with
minimal administrative overhead. 100% of donations goes directly to the
beneficiaries. All costs and effort for this project have been donated
by the employees of the Dean Team Automotive Group.
Are you registered as a viable charity?
No. As this is a recent event, and we wanted to act on this immediatly, the
Dean family decided to begin this project without delay.
