AURORA, Colo. — Mass shootings, especially like the one in Uvalde, Texas, leave in their wake a collective sense of despair and trauma – and not just for those directly connected to the school.
These shootings can and do impact people all over the world. And they can be re-traumatizing for those who have lived through them before.
Coloradans know all too well the trauma of living through mass shootings, including friends Megan Dearman and Della Curry.
"When Sandy Hook happened, my daughter was the exact same age,” Curry said. “The Aurora theater – that’s my theater. That's where I grew up."
"In 2012, when the theater shooting happened and I lost my 6-year-old cousin, Veronica, it was devastating,” Dearman said. “Anytime a shooting happens, you flashback to the news, to the funeral. It's been about 10 years now, the news never stops with mass shootings — this one with children."
“And then, I read a list of all of the school shootings that have happened and I don't remember half of them,” Curry said as she teared up. “How terrible is that?"
The trauma of the Uvalde shooting is why this Aurora duo is now teaming up again, relaunching a concept they created right before the COVID lockdowns.
"We're all so connected through social media, but where is that community connection of going into a place?" said Dearman.
The two women are calling their nonprofit The Colorado Resilient Life Center. They've relaunched their website and soon hope to open a building.
Through both, they hope to offer care and healing programs, classes, counseling and events. All would be free of charge — all with mental health in mind.
"We're all survivors right now,” Dearman said. “You might not have been there, but you're seeing the news, hearing the stories and you're not one of the people who is desensitized to it."
"We are fixing what we can," Curry said.
The idea is that no one should need insurance coverage or government aid to access care.
“This is a form of community aid, as opposed to waiting on your health insurance," Curry said.
“We want to make a center where people can say, ‘I have this struggle,'" Dearman said.
It's an idea born out of mass shootings, but a place for all to gather.
“We want a place where you can walk in and say, 'I need help,'" Curry said. “And we can go, 'Okay. We got you.'"
If you'd like to donate, click here. If you'd like to volunteer you can e-mail CORLC directly at resilient@corlc.org.