The Community Foundation of Greater Flint has set up a charitable fund so people can donate money to help Flint children.
The fund, called the Flint Child Health & Development Fund, is meant to support the delivery of public health, medical, and community services to improve health outcomes for children exposed to lead as a result of Flint's water crisis.
"Anybody from any place who wants to make a difference and help address both the immediate and long term needs, there is a place for them to give," said Kathi Horton, President of the Foundation.
According to Horton, media coverage has generated interest among people nationwide about how they can help.
Horton said the government must provide most of the money to address the short- and long-term impact of the lead in Flint's water on the city's children.
"This fund is not meant to do what can be done by state and federal funds," said Horton. "It is really meant to complement that."
Horton said donations to the fund will go to interventions like access to infant and child behavioral health services, healthy food access, integrated social and medical services, and research. She said grants will be directed to areas that fall through the cracks of available government funding.
Distribution of the grants from the Flint Child Health & Development Fund will be guided by an advisory committee comprised of representatives of the Flint community, Hurley Children's Hospital, Mott Children's Health Center, Greater Flint Health Coalition, United Way of Genesee County, and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.
