Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct affiliation of Dixie Casford.
Community leaders including Gov. Jared Polis and Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver toured the Boulder Strong Resource Center’s new permanent location Tuesday morning, surveying the safe haven created for people seeking support after the March 22 King Soopers mass shooting.
Polis was able to review the resources provided by Boulder Strong, as well as thank those involved in its creation and continuation.
The new center, located at 2935 Baseline Road in Boulder, provides many free services to anyone affected by the shooting, including therapy dogs, acupuncture, massage and counseling. Primarily, the center hopes to create a community to help people feel safe and loved after the trauma they have experienced.
Karen Schweihs, a counselor at the center, led the tour through the new facility.
She explained that the majority of people served by Boulder Strong are survivors of the shooting, which claimed the lives of 10 people. They are able to come into the center any day Monday through Saturday to receive counseling, create art, or just be with others who understand what they went through.
During the tour, Schweihs presented an unfinished mural, which survivors of the shooting and family members of those who were lost have been encouraged to contribute to. When it is complete, the mural will be the Tree of Life, with a trunk, branches, and leaves made out of fabric.
“It’s designed to last forever,” Schweihs said.
In the same room, 10 wreaths of paper cranes were displayed. The cranes were donated to Boulder Strong by The Rebels Project, a group formed by survivors of the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 and the Aurora theater shootings of 2012.
Schweihs explained that survivors from both tragedies have shown their support for Boulder Strong from the beginning.
The center also features a puzzle therapy room, which has become a place for people to come together and help one another.
“Sometimes they talk about what happened,” Schweihs said, “And sometimes it’s quiet and they just work together.”
After completing the tour, Polis thanked everyone involved at the center and within the community for coming together to support those affected.
“Thank you to everybody who makes this happen,” he said. “This place is a big help to them getting their lives back.”
Mayor Weaver also thanked those involved and acknowledged what the center represents for the city.
“This is our community coming together, being resilient,” he said.
Although the original center location was only a short-term solution, Dixie Casford, co-CEO of Mental Health Partners, which is managing the resource center, hopes that the new center will be around for a long time.
“Long after the headlines fade, and the trials are over. We will be here for the long haul,” Casford said.
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Leaders tour new home of Boulder Strong Resource Center - Longmont Times-Call
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