Funds to be disbursed directly to the families of the victims and to the survivors of those affected by the mass shooting
Colorado Springs, CO, April 27, 2023 – The Club Q Victims and Survivors Compassion Fund (the Fund) and Steering Committee today announced that $939,978.01 was donated and will be distributed directly to the survivors, including those whose family members were killed during the horrific mass shooting on November 19, 2022, at Club Q in Colorado Springs.
To determine a fair and compassionate distribution plan for 100% of funds raised through the Good Judy Garage GoFundMe campaign, a Community Steering Committee was created and led by Faith Haug, who started the fund. The Committee was composed of trauma specialists, survivors of previous mass casualty events, health experts, legal experts, and other community leaders, who set policies governing eligibility and distribution of the funds. Haug set up the GoFundMe campaign immediately after the attack, with a goal of $5,000 to support victims and survivors. The public responded with overwhelming compassion and donated close to $1 million.
“Our community experienced significant loss and trauma on November 19th, yet people from around the country and the globe responded with incredible generosity and compassion,” said Faith Haug.
After publishing a draft of the distribution protocol for the fund, the Committee carefully considered submitted written comments and the input received during the public town hall on January 18th and incorporated feedback into the Final Protocol. On April 19, the Committee approved a distribution plan that will pay funds to 48 validated applicants who self-selected from four different categories: those who were traumatized, wounded, injured, or who are surviving family members of the five people killed during the attack. All funds are made as gifts and are not based on financial need.
“We have simply been stewards of these funds committed to honoring the intent of more than 20,000 gracious donors who stepped up to help those directly impacted by this tragedy,” added NCF executive director, Jeff Dion. “Although these donations could never make the survivors whole, we are hopeful these donations provide the recipients with some comfort knowing that there are many people who wanted to give something to help them in whatever way possible.”
VictimsFirst has tremendous gratitude for Jeff Dion of the National Compassion Fund. He continues to ensure that 100% of all donations collected for victims/survivors of mass violence go directly to them in a way that is ethical, equitable, and transparent. This is why VictimsFirst helped to bring the National Compassion Fund into Colorado Springs and ensured victims' voices were on the Steering Committee.
Additionally, VictimsFirst collected a total of $11,815.90, and we granted every penny to the National Compassion Fund so that 100% would go directly to Club Q victims/survivors.
The National Compassion Fund has released exactly how the donations collected from the generous public were distributed, providing an example of how transparent nonprofits can be and should be.
To date, the Colorado Healing Fund has not released a full and detailed accounting of how they have distributed the funds they collected for victims/survivors. The Colorado Healing Fund is also withholding from survivors $300,000.00 for long-term needs, ignoring unmet immediate needs and the current need for ongoing financial assistance.
The Colorado Healing Fund has not stated publicly what the $300,000.00 will be used for, nor have they stated how they decided upon this course of action or what data they used to justify their decision-making.
For many reasons, including the lack of transparency, the Colorado Healing Fund is not a model that should be replicated. VictimsFirst does not endorse the Colorado Healing Fund in any way whatsoever.
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