(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, sirens, police lights, and ambulances flooded the streets of North Academy Boulevard. It was this night when five, innocent people would lose their lives to a mass shooting in Colorado Springs. It was this night when several others would be injured, heroes would come to light, and a community would begin to mourn.

Now, almost two months to the day of the Club Q tragedy, support from across the U.S. continues to filter in, with neighbors near and beyond lending their hands to those reaching for healing. One of those neighbors is Stars of Hope, a nonprofit with the mission to provide compassion and healing through art.

Stars of Hope has brought light to Colorado Springs in the form of artwork on windows downtown. The first businesses to display the stars were Poor Richard’s and Bingo Burger, among others.

Poor Richard’s stands against all forms of oppression and hate. We support our LGBTQ+ community and strive to create a space where all people feel safe and welcome. We proudly display Stars of Hope in our businesses and hope they bring encouragement and healing to those impacted by the Club Q Tragedy. Choose Love!

Poor Richard’s

According to the Downtown Partnership, the nonprofit will continue to be in Colorado Springs in the weeks to come, “distributing more of these stars to help our community work through grief processing and toward recovery.”

Part of Bingo Burger’s mission has always been to be an active and supportive member of our local community. Like most businesses in Colorado Springs, our team was heartbroken upon hearing of the tragic and violent event at Club Q. We are very proud to provide a safe and inclusive work and dining space for people of all backgrounds, so this event hit all of us particularly hard. When we received our Stars of Hope, our team was really excited to display them and take a step forward in their healing process. Our stars, which are so thoughtfully and lovingly created, are prominently displayed for EVERYONE to see and hopefully glean a little light and comfort from. We are so grateful to Stars of Hope and the tremendous work they do for grieving communities like ours.

Mary and Richard, Chefs/Co-Owners of Bingo Burger

According to its website, Stars of Hope began in 2007 after it was started by the New York Says Thank You Foundation.

These one-foot wooden Stars serve as a canvas for survivors to create colorful art and messages of healing to other communities recovering from human-made or natural disasters as part of a “pay it forward” resiliency model. In doing so, we remind survivors that they are never alone.

Stars of Hope

To date, Stars of Hope has delivered more than 160,000 stars to nearly 250 communities, more than 30 countries, and has garnered the help of more than 140,000 volunteers.

According to the nonprofit, it has a three-tiered approach when responding to communities after a tragedy or disaster.

First, we work with local stakeholders to silently hang stars in prominent locations to support survivors’ immediate emotional needs. Then we facilitate guided community-wide healing art events, where survivors process their grief by painting Stars for other survivors-in-need. Our presence in that community is then sustained by annual and anniversary programming in order to promote long-term emotional healing.

Stars of Hope

Daniel Ashton (He/Him), Kelly Loving (She/Her), Ashley Paugh (She/Her), Derrick Rump (He/Him), and Raymond Green Vance (He/Him), all lost their lives during the Club Q tragedy. Their names, their pictures, and what family, friends, and loved ones cherished most about them will always be remembered, and never forgotten.