By Shannon Lukens.

UPDATE: Victoria B. asked us to share all statements and emails that she received saying she had permission to be at these businesses. The issue isn’t whether she has permission to be there. It is whether money being raised in the Steamboat Springs community will stay in the Steamboat Springs community. Local authorities (below) did not believe it would be. That is what the story is about. Victoria B. asked us to remove all phone numbers, emails, and names from the multiple emails she sent us. She did not do this when she sent them to us, but she asked us to post them. She said they are personal emails and phone numbers but they are listed as standforthesilent.org We have removed some of this information, at her request.

UPDATE at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 25 — Stand for the Silent has reached out to Steamboat Radio news and is sending a statement which we will add here. 

UPDATE: Wednesday, May 31. No statements have been sent. But emails that show Stand for the Silent can be at certain businesses were sent from Victoria B. who does marketing for Stand with the Silent. These are at the bottom of the story.

ORIGINAL POST

A group called Stand for the Silent has been in Steamboat Springs this week, with tables set up outside of businesses, including Natural Grocers, City Market, Safeway, Jimmy John’s and Walmart. They say they are for child suicide prevention. Mindy Marriott who runs REPS (Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide) here in Steamboat Springs, spoke with them.

“We have never collaborated with Stand for the Silent nor have we ever received funding from Stand for the Silent. So although they are telling our community members that the money stays locally and that all suicide prevention efforts and money raised will stay here, that is simply not the case.”

Lisa Lorenz who is the former director of Yampa Valley Autism also reached out to Steamboat Radio News because she said Stand for the Silent solicited her for money. Lorenz said they gave out false information about REPS and they couldn’t tell her where their main office is.

“It seems to me that if we really want to make a difference locally, we should support the local organizations that we already have here in Steamboat that are functioning at a premium level. To me, it appears that they are taking the money and taking it out of our community.”

They also say they will “Fund an Entire School,” and they are raising money for a local elementary school. They couldn’t name any of the local schools. We asked Steamboat Springs School District Superintendent Celine Wicks and she had never heard of Stand for the Silent. She asked the elementary school principals and they said they had never heard of the group and had never been contacted. Wicks also said she believes it is a scam.

Wicks contacted the School Resource Officer who reached out to Steamboat Police. They showed up and started questioning the people who were asking for money. They couldn’t give any solid answers on where the money goes or how it is used in the community. Officer Elle Crouch spoke with someone from the organization on the phone while we were there, and continued asking questions about who gave them permission to be in Steamboat Springs and where the money is going. Officer Crouch finally respectfully asked the group to pack up and leave. She told them that they could possibly be investigated on fraudulent charges and theft, since their group can’t say where the money they are collecting is going, and if it is staying in the community. Steamboat Police then drove from Natural Grocers to Walmart to see if Stand for the Silent was still set up there. She said they will continue to investigate and be aware if they are set up in the area.

Steamboat Interim Police Chief Mark Beckett also said, “We believe it’s a scam.”

As they were packing up to leave Wednesday evening from Natural Grocers, we asked if they would be back in Steamboat Springs on Thursday and they said they were going to call their corporate office first to ask.

We googled, “Stand for the Silent Scam” and came up with the following news stories.

• School district warns of ‘unethical’ fundraising by anti-bullying nonprofit in St. George
• Scam Alert: Charity Claiming to be with School District is Taking People’s Money
• Company raising money for charity makes false claims

UPDATE 4:50 p.m. Friday, May 26, from Victoria B. who does marketing for Stand for the Silent. She sent the following emails after we told her she could send us any correspondence validating Stand for the Silent. She sent emails that were received from local businesses that said they could be out front.

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Gary Suiter<gsuiter@steamboatsprings.net>
Date: Thu, May 25, 2023 at 2:45 PM
Subject: Permit inquiry
To:

Hello Victoria,

This is to confirm that I recently received a call from your event coordinator, Ally, inquiring about necessary permits to set up tables in front of local businesses for your nonprofit, Stand for the Silent. We looked at our codes and checked with Routt County, to find out that no permit is required to set up a table in front of a business. That arrangement is between the business and the nonprofit. We advised Ally to contact Routt County to receive permission from them to set up a table on the old courthouse property. We conveyed that information to her, understanding your representatives would be up here this week fundraising for the nonprofit.

Regards,

 Gary Suiter, City Manager

City of Steamboat Springs

(970) 871-8240

gsuiter@steamboatsprings.net

*Under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), all messages sent by or to me on this city email account may be subject to public disclosure.*