Beau Biden campaign money to help fund charity

Money remaining in Beau Biden's political accounts will help fund the new Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children, which was created last week by his widow, Hallie, and the Delaware Community Foundation.

The charity, which will continue Beau Biden's work to protect children from abuse, has collected more than $250,000 in donations its first week. Biden's political committees - Beau PAC and Biden for Delaware - reported balances of about $660,000 as of December 31.

"The campaign money will be used to continue the work Beau loved most – protecting children - and the natural place to do that is the foundation," Hallie Biden said in a statement through a spokesman.

Delaware law allows unspent campaign contributions to be donated to charity. It is unclear how much currently remains in the committees.

Beau Biden, the former two-term attorney general and eldest son of Vice President Joe Biden, died on May 30 after a nearly two-year battle with brain cancer.

Thousands attended public viewings last week in Dover and Wilmington, and Biden's funeral on Saturday at St. Anthony of Padua church in Wilmington.

During Biden's eight years as attorney general, he dramatically increased prosecutions of crimes related to child sexual abuse, securing more than 200 convictions through the Child Predator Task Force he created upon taking office in 2007.

Fred Sears, president of the Delaware Community Foundation, said the Beau Biden Foundation has received gifts from about 1,750 donors in its first week – some giving $20 or $100, all the way up to a $25,000 donation.

"The number of gifts is absolutely overwhelming," Sears said.

Sears said his group administers 1,200 funds and typically receives about 400-500 donations a month. Contributions to the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children can be made at www.beaubidenfoundation.org.

Contact Jonathan Starkey at (302) 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.