As the dust begins to settle around Sandy Hook Elementary, efforts to support the victim's families gear up. Formal Local efforts to help haven't begun in Ardmore yet, but other ways to help are here.

"It's so new still and everyone's still reeling from the shock of it," said Tobi Ervin, the executive director for the United Way of South Central Oklahoma. "But I feel like certainly there will be a lot of people wanting to get an organized effort going."
While local support organizes, United Way of Western Connecticut has set up the Sandy Hook School Support Fund. Any money donated will go toward counseling for the victim's families and funeral costs. These are things Ervin says no parent expects.

"Because no one ever thinks about or plans or wants to have to plan a funeral process for their own child," said Ervin.

It's for this reason that some Texomans want to show more local support for the families of Newtown.

"Whatever I can do, because I've got a little three year old at my house, and he comes first," said Jonathan Sheffield, an Ardmore resident.

But other people want to avoid hasty decisions and make sure their money goes to a legitimate cause.

"They get these deals going, you don't know where the money is going, you know, if it's going for the purpose you intended it to go to and that sort of thing," said Ardmore resident Doug Blackwell.

If you want to help right now you can write a check or make a credit card donation to the United Way fund online. Otherwise, take Blackwell's suggestion.

"Just take a pause," he said.

Do some homework, and see what options to support come up