VictimsFirst Starts Only Fund Ensuring 100% will Go Directly to Victims of the Club Q Shooting
For Immediate Release
November 20, 2022 — VictimsFirst has started a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to ensure 100% of donations are given directly to victims of the Club Q mass shooting that took place on November 19, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Club Q Victims Fund (Colorado Springs) can be accessed using the following link:
VictimsFirst comprises two decades of families of previous mass shootings who have been previously re-victimized by nonprofits that collect donations from a trusting public without the intention of giving 100% to victims.
“Before donating to any fund that claims it’s going to victims, we encourage donors to ask the nonprofit or fund administrator if 100% of your donation will go directly to victims in cash payments,” said VictimsFirst Vice President Dr. Zachary Blair. “There is a Colorado nonprofit that claims to be a safe way for people to donate to victims, however, only a portion of your donation will ever make it to victims. Instead, they will use your donations to fund salaries, administrative costs, and various programs.”
“For those of us who have lived through a mass shooting, we know the financial repercussions,” said Tiara Parker, Director of VictimsFirst and wounded survivor of the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. “This is why there should always be a real Victims Fund where every penny collected goes directly to the victims so that they can manage their own financial needs.”
Members of the Board and Leadership Council of VictimsFirst are also victims/survivors of the Pulse Nightclub shooting that occurred in Orlando, Florida—who know how important it is for victims/survivors to receive 100% of the donations collected.
From 2021-2022, VictimsFirst has granted over $8.9M directly to victims/survivors of mass shootings, including the King Sooper’s Shooting in Boulder, Colorado that occurred on March 22, 2021, the Buffalo Tops’ mass shooting that occurred on May 14, 2022, and the Robb Elementary School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas that occurred on May 24, 2022.
VictimsFirst believes in full transparency. This is why we post our monthly financial statements on our website so that you can see how much we collect through our victims' funds and that 100% is distributed to victims/survivors, as promised.
For more information, please contact:
Tiara Parker (Director and Pulse Shooting Survivor) at 484-619-9075 or tiara@victimsfirst.org
Dr. Zachary Blair (Vice President) at (360) 580-2771 or zachary@victimsfirst.org
Website: https://www.victimsfirst.org/