The Santa Clarita Coalition received a donation of several thousand dollars from Route 66 Classic Grill, a local Canyon Country restaurant, on Monday  to provide supplementary funds for Santa Clarita victims of the Las Vegas Shooting.

George Thomas, owner of Route 66 Classic Grill delivered a large poster sized check in the amount of $6,500 to one of the founders of the Santa Clarita Coalition and co-owner of KHTS 1220 A.M., Carl Goldman, at the KHTS station in Old Town Newhall Monday.

“It was amazing the amount of support that we had,” Thomas said. “When it was all said and done, after a lot of contributions from a lot of folks, we ended up with $6,500 dollars, which was in my mind an incredible amount of money.”

Thomas raised the funds for the donation as a part of a Route 66 Classic Grill “Vegas Strong” Benefit that was held at the end of October.

“We wanted the opportunity for people who were there at the shooting who weren’t necessarily shot or injured just to be there and see their friends who they might recognize as other people who were at the Las Vegas incident.” Thomas said. “And we were fortunate enough to actually have three of the shooting victims to have came out and joined us along with quite a few people who were at the scene.”

Related: Route 66 Classic Grill “Vegas Strong” Benefit Draws Hundreds Of Santa Clarita Residents

The SCV Coalition is approaching $10,000 in donations and intends to give back 100 percent of the proceeds to Santa Clarita victims of the Las Vegas shooting, Goldman said.

“(These funds) will go to fill the gaps.” Goldman said. “We’re still waiting to see what needs are out there with insurance (and) lost employment that’s taking place for a lot of people. Emotional support, and some of them of course have significant medical bills. So, we’ll be putting this money to good use and be promoting where the money (goes).”

Thomas approached Goldman about the idea to fundraise money for victims in early October, he said said.

“They contacted us when we were promoting the vigil that the SCV Coalition put together with the city of Santa Clarita, Real Life Church and KHTS 1220 Radio,” Goldman said.

Related: Las Vegas Shooting: Candlelight Vigil Draws Thousands In Santa Clarita #SCV4Vegas

The Route 66 benefit was organized less than three weeks, Thomas said.

Despite the short time to prepare, many people were more than willing to help, he added.  

“Right about now is when the bills start rolling in and they need some help,” Thomas said. “So I’d like to challenge other business owners to do their part and hopefully funnel the money through the Santa Clarita Coalition as well.”

To find out more about the Santa Clarita Coalition, click here.

As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up for KHTS email and text alerts today!