How You Can Help Those Affected by the Club Q Shooting in Colorado Springs
Five people are dead and more than 25 injured (19 suffered gunshot wounds) after a mass shooting Saturday night at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. According to the Washington Post, at least 14 vigils were held this weekend, and more are expected to offer support to those affected by the senseless tragedy.
And more details are surfacing as police investigate whether this was a hate crime. Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez told media that upon entering the club, the suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, opened fire before at least two people inside the club confronted him and fought him, preventing further violence. Thankfully, Aldrich is in custody.
There’s been an outpouring of support, including from Jared Polis, Colorado’s first openly gay governor, who took to Twitter on Sunday: “This is horrific, sickening, and devastating. My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured, and traumatized in this terrible shooting.” He continued by saying, “Colorado stands with our LGBTQ Community and everyone impacted by the tragedy as we mourn.”
On Sunday, Club Q issued a joint statement with GLAAD to thank those who stopped the gunman and to urge that “every person do what they can to speak up for LGBTQ people and everyone’s right to be safe.”
Organizers have already created fundraisers and shared locations for blood drives. In fact, Club Q shared an official donation site, Colorado Gives 365, on its Facebook page to help victims of the shooting. Colorado Gives 365 supports the Colorado Healing Fund, which was created to deal with the aftermath of mass violence and provide victims with immediate long-term support.
We’re sure there are more out there, but at least three GoFundMe pages have been started to raise funds to help victims or remember the lives lost. A former employee of Club Q, Greg Resha, is helping raise money for medical and funeral expenses for the victims and families of the mass shooting. All funds collected via Resha’s GoFundMe page will be donated to the Colorado Gives 365 organization, too. But the LGBTQ+-owned auto repair shop in Denver, Good Judy Garage, set a goal to raise $500,000 for funeral expenses, medical expenses, and other expenses for families of those who were killed or injured by the gunman. You can check out its GoFundMe page here. And Classroom of Compassion, an arts-focused nonprofit organization in Los Angeles set up a GoFundMe page to collect funds and travel to Colorado Springs to set up public altars and pop-up youth spaces to honor the victims
Locally, Vitalant, a nonprofit blood donation organization, sent 70 units of blood products to the hospitals in Colorado Springs in response to the mass shooting. And Children’s Hospital of Colorado has a blood donation center located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, open from Monday to Friday for blood donations.
For mental health services, the city of Colorado Springs has shared the details for support and for contacting more than 60 therapists on its website. Today through Wednesday, the Colorado Springs Police Department tweeted that it will be hosting a resource expo to provide support and info about mental health resources, spiritual support, emotional support animals, emergency financial resources, LGBTQ+ support, meals, and more. And the Colorado Crisis Services hotline is available via phone call or text and El Paso County Public Health also has a list of services to support those traumatized by the mass shooting.
