DENVER — After the deadly shooting in Colorado Springs on Saturday night, Club Q, the LGBTQ+ nightclub where the attack took place, announced Colorado Healing Fund as the official site for donations.
The shooting left five people dead and as many as 18 others injured – and it left countless friends, family members, and members of the LGBTQ+ community devastated by the senseless violence.
Some fundraising pages were launched early Sunday in an effort to support the victims, but Club Q announced on Sunday afternoon that Colorado Healing Fund was the official site for donations.
One Colorado, a leading LGBTQ advocacy group in Colorado, offered this advice for donors: “Club Q has requested donations be sent to the Colorado Healing Fund, which will support those directly affected by this tragedy. Many people have started fundraisers in response to the shooting at Club Q. Some are legitimate and we are grateful for their initiative. Some are fraudulent. Please do your due diligence in selecting fundraisers to support by contacting the hosts to make sure they have a plan to disperse the funds effectively.”
Here's the message from the official donation site:
The Colorado Healing Fund (CHF) Board of Trustees has activated the Fund to begin collecting donations and making funds available in response to last night’s mass shooting in Colorado Springs at Club Q. The CHF is chaired by Former Colorado Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman and led by Coloradans who have extensive experience working with incidents of mass violence, including former Columbine High School Principal, Frank DeAngelis. The CHF provides the safest way for people to donate in times of mass criminal tragedy, ensuring that the funds go to the families of the deceased, the survivors, those immediately impacted, and support the long-term recovery of the community.
“We know that in the darkest times, the strength of Coloradans shines through. As we mourn the lives of those lost in this horrific act of senseless violence, we encourage anyone who is able to contribute to our community members in need by giving to the Colorado Healing Fund,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. “Coloradans can lend a helping hand in the true Colorado spirit of resilience, inclusion, and support.”
Donations can be made on this link or in the following ways:
- Donate through Colorado Gives and direct the donation to “Club Q Tragedy.”
- Checks and in-person donations will be accepted at Colorado-based FirstBank (1STBank) locations. Donors should make checks out to “Colorado Healing Fund'' and write “Club Q” in the memo. When depositing the check with bank tellers, please designate donations for the Colorado Healing Fund’s “victim account.”
- If donors host a fundraiser with the proceeds intended to go to CHF for victims of the Club Q mass shooting, please send an email to info@coloradohealingfund.org.
The national LGBTQ rights group GLAAD is joining Club Q and Gov. Jared Polis in requesting that donations be sent to the Colorado Healing Fund.
The Colorado Healing Fund (CHF) was founded in 2018 by victim advocates who saw a need for a single, centralized non-profit organization that would be able to handle a large, sudden influx of tax-deductible donations given to help the victims in the immediate aftermath of a mass tragedy.
CHF disburses funds to victim assistance organizations that provide direct financial support to crime victims and their families. CHF also partners with community groups that organize longer-term support for the healing and recovery of the broader community, beyond those identified as victims’ families or survivors.
As the first donations began to arrive after the Club Q shooting, CHF made an immediate disbursement of $50,000 to victims' advocates for immediate needs.
Immediate assistance may take the form of financial help with memorial services, medical expenses, and travel costs. Intermediate and long-term assistance may include funding for community support organizations and events.
The scope of the assistance, both short and long-term, is determined by the amount donated by the public.
CHF says it is partnering with One Colorado and the Gill Foundation to ensure that funds will be made available to members of the LGBTQ community in culturally competent ways, including for people who are not comfortable working with law enforcement, which typically verifies who was a victim of a crime.
CHF typically works with the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA) to distribute funds to Coloradans impacted by a mass tragedy.
COVA is a non-profit that covers expenses incurred by crime victims that are not covered by Colorado’s victims compensation program, which operates separately. COVA works off referrals from victim advocates across Colorado but does not require a police report or cooperation with law enforcement.
COVA commonly operates out of a community center established following a mass tragedy. In the case of the Club Q shooting, COVA leaders have said they will work with any community members who do not feel comfortable coming to the community center once it’s established.
GoFundMe also verified two donation pages Sunday morning as legitimate:
Mourning the victims of the Club Q nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs
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