Fund raising efforts in aid of the September 11, disaster relief are moving full speed ahead according to organisers, but they are still hoping for more Bermudians to dig deep in their pockets.

In the short time since inception - September 18 - Geneva Humdy-Woodley, development director for the American Society of Bermuda, said the Bermuda Disaster Relief Fund has surpassed the wildest dreams of its organisers.

To date the fund has amassed $455,200 in total, thanks in part to generous donations from the Bank of Bermuda and the Bank of Butterfield, Ms Humdy-Woodley said.

She said the funds will the funds will be distributed between eight charities including widows of The New York Firefighters Fund and The New York Police Fund.

And she and fellow organisers are touched by the generosity of Bermudians who have given selflessly to help those victimised by the tragic events in New York and Washington D.C.

Ms Humdy-Woodley said that along with her organisation, the Bermuda Industrial Union and the Bank of Bermuda have set up accounts at all three major banks in the Island for the Bermuda Disaster Relief Fund.

And she noted that the funds which hope to have a distribution date of Thanksgiving, will be dispersed among various relief efforts that they feel are most in need.

"The objective is to provide assistance for the people who have suffered in the disaster," she said. "For the last several weeks, we have been receiving substantial donations through the Bermuda American Society and the through the two major banks in the Island."

Ms Humdy-Woodley, who was born and raised in New York, also has a personal tale to tell.

She is in regular contact with friends in New York and she pointed out that people are trying to function as normally as possible under the circumstances.

"I just made a trip back to New York last week and it's really incredible," she said. "As I walked through the city for the first time in my life I kept looking up at the sky every time I heard a noise. And that's when I realised that you could be hit. As I walked through the streets there were nothing but posters of missing people from the Trade Centres.

"There are people who are trying to go to work and people who have lost their homes. There are people who don't have jobs anymore. The economic downfall is great and the same issues are also in Washington. But I've never seen the city stronger or more unified."

Ms Humdy-Woodley said that right now people who have been affected need "compassion". And she said that making the fund raising effort a priority is her way of doing her part to bring compassion to the lives of others.

Ms Humdy-Woodley also noted that the American Society has initiated a matching gift programme for people wishing to give a donation.

She explained that her organisation, if directed by the person giving the gift, will ask their employer to match the monies being given.

"We just want the public to know that we appreciate any kind of donation, whether it is $1.00 or $100," she said. "And our objective is to show some kind of compassion to the people who have been hit by this tragedy. But the fact still remains that no matter how much money is given, there is no amount that will ease the suffering of the people affected."