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MEMORIAL PLACE: Candles are lit in Gjerdrum to remember the missing and deceased after the landslide. Photo: Helge Mikalsen, VG
An ongoing crown campaign at Spleis.no on Monday raised more than 1.6 million crowns in just a few hours. The proceeds are for the proceeds of the avalanche victims at Ask in Gjerdrum.
– I am completely overwhelmed and speechless, says leader Tanya Fjørtoft Valkve in Omsorg Jessheim to VG.
At 11:05 p.m. on Monday night, has collected the fundraising campaign 1,647,000 crowns.
The organization was started in December 2015 to help people who needed gifts and food for Christmas.
– Then there were also some requests for the New Year. We help out in everyday life and contribute bikes, Christmas activities, and support for the holidays like Christmas, Easter and May 17, he says.
VG has previously referred to the organization as “everyday heroes.”
Wanting to help
The action is one of many that have raised large sums for the victims of the landslides in Gjerdrum. Among other things, 700,000 crowns have also been collected for the Norwegian Red Cross and various sums for various individuals who have been affected by the landslide.
A rough estimate of campaign funds on Spleis’ “Support Gjerdrum” pages shows that just under four million crowns have been raised so far.
Valkve at Omsorg Jessheim says the money the organization receives from the collections will of course go to supporting those affected by the landslide.
– Today we spoke with the accountant here in Jessheim, who will help us and make sure the money is handled correctly.
– I hope I can help everyone affected. The need will be there for quite some time, not just now, he says.
also read
These are the missing and deceased after the landslide in Gjerdrum
Touched by commitment
– I almost get a tear out of the corner of my eye when I see these numbers, says one of the initiators behind the collection, Sander Ofstad, to VG.
Together with his partner Ole Tessem, he has launched the campaign through the NorgeJodel Instagram account, which the two manage together. The account has almost a million followers, which is why they have reached a wide audience with the fundraising campaign.
The account has been disputed and, in the spring of 2020, the people behind it were accused of plagiarism. They rejected parts of the criticism themselves, but they also promised to improve.
– In recent days we have closely followed the news from Gjerdrum. It’s incredibly sad. People have lost family members and everything they own. So we wanted to help with the canal we have built, Ofstad explains.
He hopes the money can cover funerals for the deceased and support all who have lost their homes.
It will be up to the Omsorg Jessheim organization to manage the donations; Ofstad and his partner will have nothing to do with it.
– In the last few days we have checked who we could give the money to. Then we found this organization, which has been working in the local area for many years. We have been in contact with them and they greatly appreciate the initiative, says Ofstad.
Spleis CEO Bjørn Kjetil Hellestræ is impressed with the collection.
– It took off completely tonight. We are honored that our service is being used for a cause where people are so affected. It’s absolutely fantastic to see people’s willingness to give when people are having the most difficulty and need help, he thinks.
