Many are still reeling from the horrific shooting at the Colorado Springs LGBTQ bar Club Q. With tragedy comes a call to action, and individuals, communities, and even companies have come out in droves to support the Colorado queer community and the victims of the shooting.
While GoFundMe has had its “fair” share of controversies, the platform has helped users mobilize resources for real change and put their money behind causes they support. The official GoFundMe Twitter account (and yes, it is the official one and not the “Twitter Blue” one) has tweeted multiple links to multiple Colorado LGBTQ organizations fundraising for the victims.
Among them are “Good Judy Garage, an LGBTQ+-owned auto repair shop located in the Denver Metro Area,” “Greg Resha, a former employee of Club Q,” and “Classroom of Compassion—a nonprofit that is creating five public altars in Colorado Springs to honor the five victims whose lives were lost in the #ClubQ shooting.”
They’ve also tweeted out a link to their page that connects all the verified fundraisers on their site, including Fundraiser for Tara (DJ T-Beatz) injured @Club Q, Support Slaugh family, victims of Club Q shooting, and Club Q Victims Fund (Colorado Springs)
GoFundMe additionally assured potential donors that “All funds raised will be distributed to the families for funeral expenses, medical bills, or other future ongoing costs,” and “Our Trust & Safety Team is monitoring our platform closely, we will update this list as more fundraisers are created to help victims & families.”
It’s good to see GoFundMe actively supporting LGBTQ communities and organizations. However, I also want to highlight the work being done by smaller groups and nonprofits because—as we must remember—GoFundMe is a for-profit platform. ColoradoGives has also been mobilizing fundraising efforts all throughout November and already has three fundraisers for Club Q victims and survivors.
Here are some alternative donation sites if you don’t want GoFundMe to take a portion of the funds:
- Inside Out Youth Services
- Providers offering therapy for survivors
- Red Cross 1-800-RedCross
- ColoradoHealingFund.org—look for “Club Q Colorado Springs Shooting Tragedy”
- Checks and in-person donations are being 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 you’re looking to start a local fundraiser for victims, send an email to [email protected].
(featured image: Flickr/torbakhopper)
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