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Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight thanked residents for their help in July. The contributions to the Cleveland Courage Fund raised $1.4 million.

(The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The money that flowed from around the world to help three women resume their lives after years of captivity has been placed in trusts for them to aid their return to independence.

More than 10,000 people have contributed $1.4 million to the Cleveland Courage Fund, which was set up to help Amada Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight after they escaped from Ariel Castro's Seymour Avenue home last year, officials said.

James Wooley, an attorney who represents Berry and DeJesus, said the money has been divided evenly among the survivors and placed in confidential trusts managed by the Northern Trust Corp.

“The women want the money managed and distributed over time through trusts, to provide support now and in the future,’’ Wooley said. “This is exactly the form in which they want it.’’

He stressed that no one, other than the women, has received anything from the donations. He said KeyBank, Northern Trust and Wooley’s firm of Jones Day, as well as countless others, have worked for the women free of charge.

Wooley would not go into details about how the women spend the money, citing their privacy.

“These are the kinds of normal living expenses that everyone has,’’ Wooley said. “What they spend it on specifically is up to them.’’

Within days of the women’s release last May 6, Cleveland City Council members Brian Cummins, Dona Brady and Matt Zone created a fund for the women to help them restart their lives.

“We’re thrilled that the fund has raised this much money,’’ Cummins said. “I remember the first meeting that we had. We looked at each other and said, ‘What do we do? How can we help them?’ It was a difficult first few weeks.’’

Initially, the Cleveland Foundation stepped in and began accepting the donations, which were tax-deductible. As more poured in, KeyBank handled the donations.

In a matter of months, the fund steadily rose. It was at $1.05 million in July and kept growing. It is at $1.4 million, Wooley said.

While KeyBank accepted the deposits from donors, Northern Trust Corp. manages the women’s money, Wooley said. The fund took in money from residents and businesses, who hosted a wide range of fund-raisers, from concerts and radio station promotions to rummage sales.

Last summer, Castro pleaded guilty to charges involving the torture of the women. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael Russo sentenced him to life in prison plus 1,000 years. On Sept. 3, just weeks after he was sentenced to prison, he committed suicide in his prison cell.