Most of my readers are from southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio, and are  familiar with the tragic story that has been unfolding in Monroe, Mich., during the past two weeks. Some of you national readers are also aware of the story.

Nevaeh Buchanan, a 5-year-old who lived in Monroe, was noticed missing from her apartment complex on the evening of May 24. An Amber Alert was issued early Memorial Day on her behalf.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers and civilian volunteers were involved with searching for the girl, distributing Amber Alert posters, prayer vigils, and wearing yellow ribbons in hopes of finding Nevaeh. One of the relatives gave me a yellow ribbon that I have since hung on my newsroom computer.

Nevaeh’s body was found Thursday a few miles away from Monroe, along the River Raisin. Her obituary is in today’s newspaper and can be found here. No arrest has been made in the case.

I have been involved with this case both with some of the news stories (Nevaeh archives at monroenews.com); and also as social media liaison for The Monroe Evening News on our reader forum, MonroeTalks, and feeding our twitter.

Now, the community of Monroe, Mich., has a very strong tradition of community service. I am not surprised at all to have seen and and heard about hundreds of people who showed up at her apartment complex or at the parking lot of the nearby Kmart store day after day, asking “What can I do to help?”

Very early in the investigation, there was one credit union fund set aside as a reward fund; and a separate credit union fund that, if needed, would pay for her funeral. There were also were donations made to help with canteen services for the law enforcement investigators, and a variety of donations made on behalf of the family and volunteer searchers.

One of the announcements in Wednesday’s edition of The Monroe Evening News is that the Community Foundation of Monroe County has established the Nevaeh Buchanan Memorial Fund. Today’s newspaper has the added detail that donations can be made at any branch of Monroe Bank & Trust (a local bank).

Now what I find particularly interesting is how the Community Foundation plans to use any leftover funds:

If excess funds are collected, it will form the basis for an interest-bearing endowment to pay for future funeral costs for children of indigent families, said Kathleen Russeau, executive director.

If you have wanted to help with the cause financially, but had concerns about where the money might go, this project is a fitting tribute to a little girl who did not deserve her terrible fate. Donations to this fund, if it is built up, can help other children in Monroe County, Mich., get a proper funeral.

I have been a newspaper reporter for more than 20 years. Very early in my career, I knew of stories about families who had no means to pay for funeral expenses for children who died at a young age from illness or car accidents. I was so upset by those situations that I took out a small life insurance policy on my daughter when she was a year old. The policy was / is intended to be enough to bury her in proper fashion should that ever be necessary.

Many families don’t make those plans for their children – whether it be a life insurance policy, a burial plot or a pre-paid funeral. It’s an expense they may not want to take on, or a situation they think will never happen.

It can happen.

Yes, funeral homes often work with families to prepare a simple burial or cremation where the expenses are not so high. That was done two years ago for my uncle / godfather.

Yes, one can arrange a benefit dinner to assist a family with medical and funeral expenses. I’m the reporter who gets the fundraiser notices listed in our newspaper, so I know about the time and effort it takes to get such dinners organized and promoted.

Yes, there may be funds available from public and private sources to provide for burial of the indigent. But it’s often not very much, since those resources are limited.

Nevaeh’s legacy now includes a children’s funeral fund at the Community Foundation for local families who cannot afford such expenses on their own.

If you would like to help in this effort, checks should be made payable to the Community Foundation of Monroe County, noting on the check that it is for the Nevaeh Buchanan Memorial Fund. The foundation is at 28 S. Macomb St., Monroe, Mich. 48161 The phone number is (734) 242-1976.

The above photo is in today’s edition of The Monroe Evening News as part of an article about the funeral arrangements. All photos on Monroe on a Budget are copyright by Monroe Publishing Co., the publisher of Monroe Evening News and sponsor of this blog.