(COLORADO SPRINGS) — In the wake of the devastating attack at Club Q, many have stepped up to help their community through the Colorado Healing Fund and verified GoFundMe campaigns. Now, one GoFundMe sees a dire need to establish a Pride Center in Colorado Springs.
The primary GoFundMe campaigns for victims and their families have been verified by GoFundMe’s Trust and Safety team to ensure that donations go directly to victims and those affected, and donors can feel safe giving to their community.
“There is a true need for queer spaces and services,” the campaign’s page reads. They pointed to statements made by victims following the attack who said Club Q was the only place they felt safe in Colorado Springs.
The “Pride Center for Colorado Springs – Club Q campaign is seeking to establish a Pride Center, where anyone in the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado Springs can go for support.
According to the GoFundMe page, the campaign’s organizer, Summer Westerbur, is a queer business owner who splits their time between Colorado and Florida in partnership with SunServe – a nonprofit social services organization that serves the LGBTQ+ community in Florida.
The GoFundMe campaign said the last Pride Center in Colorado Springs closed in 2015, and there is now a need for informed support and services for the community as the victim’s families will have ongoing needs and the community will need a space to process trauma.
The campaign said they are partnering with SunServe Florida for guidance and administrative support, and any money collected through the GoFundMe will be distributed by SunServe, a 501c3.