DENVER — The Colorado Healing Fund held a news conference on Thursday to answer recent questions it has received.
Officials with the fund discussed how it operates, including its process for donation distribution, who gets the money, the timing of distributions, how much money is paid out and why.
Speakers included the following:
- Volunteer Board President Cynthia Coffman
- Volunteer Board member Steven Siegel
- Executive Director Jordan Finegan
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.
>Watch a replay of Thursday's update below
The Colorado Healing Fund was founded in 2018 by victim advocates who saw a need for a single, centralized nonprofit 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.
The fund disburses funds to victim assistance organizations that provide direct financial support to crime victims and their families. It 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.
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.
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.”
The fund 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.
>Watch 9NEWS original shows, live Colorado news and weather updates, daily forecasts, and sports coverage for free on the 9NEWS+ app on Roku and Fire TV.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Colorado Springs Club Q shooting
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.
