Here’s how you can help Las Cruces shooting victims

A fundraising effort has been launched by the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, in partnership with the Las Cruces Police Department and the city of Las Cruces, to support the victims of a deadly shooting that took place at a Las Cruces park Friday night.

After talking with city and county officials Saturday morning, the foundation decided to relaunch the “Together Las Cruces Crisis Action Fund,” an emergency relief fund that was established during the COVID pandemic and is administered and managed by the foundation.

In the past, the fund was used to support the Doña Ana community during COVID and assist those affected by recent fires and flooding in Ruidoso and Roswell.

“As a community foundation, we have the ability to be really nimble and quick when it comes to supporting the community, especially in times of crisis,” the foundation’s executive director, Terra Winter, told the Journal.

The link to contribute to the fund can be found at the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico Facebook and Instagram social media pages, as well as the foundation’s website, communityfoundationofsouthernnewmexico.org. On the website, click on “Donate Now” at the top of the page, scroll down and select “Donate” on the first fund listed and titled “Together Las Cruces Crisis Action Fund.”

“We raised a lot of money for the fires and floods in our sister communities, so I know that our community will open their hearts to this fund,” Winter said. “We’ll definitely keep the community updated with press releases and social media posts of what’s been raised thus far.”

The foundation will work with city officials to distribute the funds raised to the families and victims impacted by the shooting, Winter said. She added that the foundation is also considering how funds could be used to benefit local mental health work to support first responders and the neighborhood surrounding the park where the shooting happened.

Winter wasn’t aware of any other fundraising efforts as of noon Saturday. But the foundation has been in contact with local mental health nonprofits, as well as partners at the El Paso Community Foundation and Paso Del Norte Foundation, to coordinate on how to provide extra support, Winter said.

The tragedy hits close to home for Winter, who was born and raised in Las Cruces and has been executive director at the foundation for almost eight years.

“Young Park is the community that I grew up in... so it definitely touches very close to home,” Winter said. “It’s not what you want to hear about in your community, that’s for sure.”

Winter said the foundation does not take any administrative fees from donations and that the money will support victims and their families directly.

Additionally, the Las Cruces Fire Department announced in a news release that the police and fire departments — along with other community support organizations — will offer assistance and resources to people affected by Friday's shooting.

The event will take place from 1-6 p.m. Sunday at the Las Cruces Convention Center.