Colorado Group Helps Tragedy Survivors 'Know They're Not Alone'
By Jeff Todd
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - After another tragic mass casualty event at a school, a Colorado group is hoping to step up and help survivors with anything they might need.
"Connecting survivors because that's what we do," said Amy Over, the Director of Fundraising for The Rebels Project.
Following the Aurora Theater Shooting, many of the alumni from Columbine decided they needed to do something to help people going through a difficult time in their life, something they went through as students.
"We were ready to help and we felt that we needed, we wanted to be there for the other survivors," Over said. "We would like survivors to access free mental health care because we're finding that it's so important to be there for the long run."
Over the past few years, The Rebels Project has helped people from tragedies all over the country. But a special relationship developed with some survivors of the Heath High School shooting from 1997.
In December, Over and her friend Missy Mendo went to Paducah for the 20-year memorial.
"We have a very close knit group of friends that are out there that went to Heath High School," said Mendo. "A hug from another survivor is totally different than somebody trying to console you."
On Tuesday, Mendo and Over reached out to those friends in Kentucky after another shooting at a high school near Paducah.
The Rebels Project is hoping to play a big role in helping people cope with all mass shooting tragedies.
"We would like to be that light at the end of the tunnel that people can come to. To let them know there isn't only one resource. As quickly as possible, or whenever they're ready and just to let people know they are not alone," Mendo said.
"They will come to us on their own time. When it's right for them. When they're ready to start their journey. When they're ready to start their healing process or they feel lost. That's where we come in to play," Over said.
LINK: The Rebels Project
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.
