DENVER – The Colorado Healing Fund (CHF) today distributed an additional $1.3 million in donations received for the benefit of victims of the November Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs. To date, the CHF has collected $2.2 million, and it has now distributed more than $1.9 million in total to support victims.
“I would like to thank the tens of thousands of donors throughout Colorado and across the country who have supported the Colorado Healing Fund’s efforts to help the families of the deceased, the survivors and those immediately impacted by the tragic and senseless violence at Club Q,” said Cynthia Coffman, chair of the Colorado Healing Fund and former Colorado Attorney General. “The decision to distribute these funds was made last week by the CHF Board of Trustees in consultation with the members of the CHF Club Q Advisory Committee.”
The distribution of the additional $1.3 million in funds was done in accordance with the CHF’s model that is designed to address the short-term, intermediate and long-term needs of victims. This model was created by more than 20 of Colorado’s leading experts in the area of incident response who evaluated numerous responses ranging from 9/11 to the Virginia Tech shootings to the Boston Marathon bombing to identify best practices that are now reflected in the CHF’s policies.
The funds will be distributed through CHF’s community partner, the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA) and will be distributed to the victims’ families, survivors, and those immediately impacted as direct cash disbursements. CHF is also working with state and local organizations to determine how best to continue supporting the individuals and families since the shooting.
“The CHF mission is to support not just the immediate needs of victims, but also their long-term needs,” Coffman added. “We have strategically paced our distributions to ensure the funds make the greatest difference in victims’ lives. Time is taken to thoughtfully balance short and long-term needs based on what experience tells us to expect throughout the trauma of criminal proceedings and annual memorials.”
Every verified victim of the Club Q tragedy should have received some form of support from CHF at this point. Please contact your victim advocate immediately if you have not or reach out to CHF by calling 720-235-8638.
Members of the CHF Club Q Advisory Committee include:
- Rachel Keener of Community Health Partnership
- Denise Whinnen of the Gill Foundation
- Jessica Laney of Pikes Peak Pride
- Jessie Pocock of InsideOut Youth Services
- Nadine Bridges of One Colorado
- Cari Davis of Colorado Springs Health Foundation
- Daniel Ramos of Colorado Democracy Alliance
- Curt Drennen of the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- Kate Horn-Murphy and Kelly Kissell of the Office for Victims Programs at the Division of Criminal Justice
- Mari Dennis of Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance
- Robin Finegan, formerly served as Regional Administrator for FEMA Region VIII Additional Financial Details – Colorado Healing Fund’s Club Q Response
$2,200,000 – Approximate amount of donations collected for victims to date.
$623,500 – Amount of donations that had been previously distributed to support victims prior to today.
$1,300,000 – Additional funds that CHF is distributing today to support victims.
$1,923,500 – Total amount of donations that CHF has now distributed to support victims.
$300,000 – Amount of donations collected that CHF is holding in reserve to address the intermediate and long-term needs of victims.
100% – Amount of funds collected for victims of the Club Q shooting that CHF will distribute to support the victims’ families, survivors, and those immediately impacted (thanks to our generous underwriters who wish to remain anonymous).
Contact: Jordan Finegan, 720-235-8638, jordanfinegan@coloradohealingfund.org