Dear Colorado Ceasefire Supporters and Partners,
As we reflect on Colorado Ceasefire’s remarkable journey through 2023, we are filled with gratitude and pride for the collective impact we have achieved together. Our commitment to ending gun violence has driven us to new heights, and we are thrilled to share some of our key accomplishments with you.
Throughout the year, Colorado Ceasefire greatly expanded our community education and outreach efforts. Over the course of the year, we hosted free information sessions about gun violence prevention techniques in over three different zip codes across the state, to listeners young and old, in English and in Spanish. This initiative, made possible by your unwavering support, has helped over 1500 Coloradans discuss how gun violence impacts them, learn about Safe Storage, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and much more.
In addition to our free information sessions, Colorado Ceasefire has expanded its reach and influence through various innovative programs. We’ve partnered with Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners to produce Extreme Risk Protection Order Training Videos and collaborated with Audio Information Network to release Safe Storage PSAs across the state. Meanwhile, our Legislative Action Committee supported the passage of five critical gun violence prevention laws in the 2023 session. The ripple effect of these initiatives has created a lasting positive change, fostering community safety for future generations.
As we look ahead, Colorado Ceasefire is poised for even greater accomplishments, and we invite you to continue your invaluable partnership with us on this journey. Together, we can build a state free from gun violence.
Whether you followed our newsletters, shared our message on social media, volunteered your time, or donated funds, we cannot thank you enough for being an integral part of Colorado Ceasefire. Your belief in our mission has fueled our success, and we look forward to achieving even greater heights in the coming years.
With gratitude,
Adam Shore,
Executive Director
2023 Impact Highlights
Media Highlights
- What Are Red Flag Gun Laws? – CGTN America
- 9-year-old aspiring rapper from Denver using music to share message about gun violence – Denver 7 ABC
- “The answer is education.” – The Durango Herald
- Gun violence isn’t a political debate – Greeley West High School Student Op-Ed
- Raising Minimum Age to Purchase – KRDO
- Comments on First Commercially Available Smart Guns – Colorado Sun
Blog Highlights
- Large capacity magazines still easily obtained in Colorado Springs despite Club Q massacre: Ceasefire Investigation
- Bruen Claws Gash in Public Safety
- The Urgent Need to Strengthen Domestic Violence Firearm Prohibitions
Outreach Highlights
- 54 Free Presentations to Over 1500 Coloradans
- 970 ERPO Brochures Distributed
- 818 Safe Storage Brochures Distributed
- 131 Gun Locks Distributed
- 13 Tabling Events
Legislative Action Supported the Passage of the Following Laws
Thank You to Our 2023 Super Volunteers!
We significantly increased our outreach in 2023 because of the volunteers who dedicated their time and efforts to our mission. Take a few minutes to learn about a few of our incredible volunteers and hear directly from them.
Meet the Founders of We Are Youth – Celine (Photo Top Left) and Aahana (Photo Top Right)
Question: Tell us about your volunteer work with Colorado Ceasefire.
Aahana: We helped create a podcast and club dedicated to helping with education on prevalent issues for our youth. With the help of the Colorado Ceasefire, we have partnered together to create a gun violence prevention campaign. Through this process, we launched a series of gun violence interviews, informative posts, and a gun violence workshop in our community to help educate our friends and family.
Question: Why do you volunteer with Colorado Ceasefire?
Aahana: I volunteer because gun violence is affecting us all, and our youth have the power to be educated on this issue and take action to make our future generations safer.
Celine: I am so passionate about gun violence because to me, working on this cause means striving towards a better and safer tomorrow.
Click here to check out their podcast episodes!
Meet a retired social worker driven to protect Colorado youth – Jeanne (Photo Bottom Left)
Question: Why did you begin volunteering with Colorado Ceasefire?
Jeanne: That’s a simple answer…….I do it for our youth. I volunteer for all of the youth that I’ve counseled over the past two decades, for the youth in our family, and for the youth in our communities who have been impacted by gun violence, both directly and indirectly. When I retired last year, I knew it was time to be more proactive in stemming the tide of gun violence. I was drawn to Ceasefire since it has been at the forefront of reducing gun violence in our state for the past twenty-plus years. I knew it would be a good fit for me, given their effective work in advocacy, outreach, and education.
Question: Can you share what work you do as a volunteer?
Jeanne: I began by volunteering to help with the outreach to promote the speaker’s bureau, mainly related to the recent passage of safe gun legislation in our state. It helped me to think of outreach as “Connections” as I asked myself who in our community wants and needs the information related to these new laws. The response from folks I knew in our community and those I “cold-called” has been overwhelmingly positive. A colleague working in schools, university professionals, a mental health organization, and a friend in Rotary helped to open up their time and forums for our speakers regarding topics geared towards reducing gun violence.
Question: Why do you enjoy volunteering with Ceasefire?
Jeanne: Hearing our speakers and working alongside volunteers at a tabling event like Juneteenth has been inspiring. The community is grateful and receptive to the free gun locks we distribute. I just knew that a life was going to be saved by these efforts. So that’s what I’m doing and why; I hope to save a life, especially our youth. I’d like to close with the wise words from Mother Teresa. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
Meet gun violence survivor turned advocate – Cooper (Photo Bottom Right)
Question: What volunteer work do you do with Colorado Ceasefire?
Cooper: I table at many events and have recently begun helping out in the speaker bureau. I also volunteer at gun buybacks with other GVP organizations.
Question: What made you decide to volunteer with Colorado Ceasefire?
Cooper: I have always been outspoken against gun violence but never volunteered. I was shot in the chest in 2022 and found Ceasefire after. I stood strongly with Ceasefire’s goals before the incident and have been given the opportunity to act on them since then, thanks to the organization, where my beliefs are stronger than ever to reduce gun violence.
