12/04/2022
We have a significant update to the fund as of today, Dec 4, 2022. When I started this fund two weeks ago, I intended to offset a few of the expenses victims would face, hopefully. The original goal was only $5k, but community generosity far exceeded that in mere hours. To date, we have received over $837,000 in donations for the victims. Here is the full press release: https://youtu.be/784uPFBNfp8
I’ve spent the last two weeks meeting with community members, speaking with victims of prior mass shootings, and seeking guidance from local and national professionals. Last week, a coalition of victims from previous mass shootings came to CO to urge the State and the Colorado Healing Fund to create a centralized fund where 100% of donations will go directly to the victims, and they chose not to do so.
The victims deserve 100% of what is donated to them, so I am announcing that this fund is joining forces with the National Compassion Fund (NCF) to create the Club Q Victims and Survivors Compassion Fund since our state would not. The National Compassion Fund was created after the Aurora Theater shooting by victim families after being re-victimized in Colorado and elsewhere by nonprofits.
This is the only organization qualified and experienced in handling funds of this size for large groups of victims, as we have here. Our fund, any funds donated to VictimsFirst, and any funds donated directly to National Compassion Fund will all go into one centralized fund so that 100% of our joint efforts go directly to the victims.
What will happen now? The fund will remain open for those who want a place to donate, where 100% of the money will go directly to the victims to use as is best for them. ONLY the victims know what the best use of the funds means for them. Not me. Not the community.
Then what? I have assembled a steering committee comprised of local LGBTQ community members and professionals, such as a trauma therapist, an attorney, victims from the Aurora shooting, a medical doctor, and others who have unique insight and experience so that together we can develop a protocol for the NCF to follow when administering funds. This protocol will be open for public comment and taken to the victims themselves before finalizing so that they are empowered to direct the funds meant for them. Once distributed, an audit will be completed so there is accountability on where the funds went.
Why can’t you just give them the money right now? The size of the fund and the number of victims does not lend itself to the same administration requirements and safeties that smaller funds do. This is no longer a few thousand dollars to offset expenses; this is an ever-growing large amount of funding that must be equitably distributed to a group of victims in the double or even triple digits, many of whom haven't been identified yet. Blindly giving it out right now will result in some victims receiving nothing or not an equitable amount. That is the opposite of the right thing to do. There are resources available in this wonderful community for those immediate needs.
Why can’t you just create a local trust and give it out like you originally planned? We would essentially be creating the same process that already exists with the National Compassion Fund; it would take much more time and be costly. As more and more information and experiences were shared with me, this became the clear answer to achieve our promise of 100% directly to victims.
Who is in charge of the funds now? Control of how the funds are distributed stays with us. The NCF will administer the funds according to the protocol set by the local steering committee. NCF has the experience and the staffing to execute our protocol, validate victims to prevent fraud, and audit the fund for transparency in a way I cannot manage myself.
I will continue to update regularly on when the steering committee is meeting, when the protocol is open for comment, when it is finalized, and when funds are administered. This is a longer process than you might wish it were, but this will ensure the victims receive ALL that is given to them and that our funds do NOT prevent them from receiving other help or having public aid taken away, as had happened in other shootings when funds were distributed too soon.
The victims whose contact info I have will be updated privately, and their info will be shared with NCF so that a centralized list can be compiled. It may take a day or so to see the Club Q Victims and Survivors Compassion Fund appear on the NCF website.
For all questions, please email [email protected], call 844-743-3334, or see https://nationalcompassion.org/faq/ for questions on how it works.
We will leave the fund open, so please keep sharing. https://gofund.me/514aa64c
We have a significant update to the fund as of today, Dec 4, 20… Faith Haug - Good Judy Garage needs your support for 100 percent going to the Club Q Victims
