• The United Way of Southern Colorado wants to raise $10 million to help people whose lives have been upended by the Aspen Acres Fire.
• The organization has also set up a donation center where material donations can be dropped off and those forced to leave their homes can get what they need.
• The United Way is hosting a telethon Thursday on KRDO News Channel 13 to raise money.

The United Way of Southern Colorado is attempting to raise $10 million to help people rebuild their lives following the devastating Aspen Acres Fire.

The money will go directly to support relief efforts for the fire, which had burned over 91,000 acres and destroyed at least 212 structures, many of them homes, as of Monday morning.

So far, the fund has raised over $127,000, United Way of Southern Colorado President and CEO Shanna Farmer said during a July 6 press conference.

 

The goal amount of $10 million was set after conversations with partners who have handled similar disasters, Farmer said. She stated that the Aspen Acres Fire was a disaster "of a scale we have not seen here before."

United Way has also set up a donation center at 1591 Taos Road to centralize the donation and distribution of material goods for those forced to leave their homes due to the wildfire.

"Behind me is a source where donors can come to drop off item donations, but also where evacuees can come to shop. They can grab a shopping cart, get all the things they may be needing right now at no cost," she said.