A loss for words

Good morning, Bend. Words can’t begin to describe the horror of yesterday’s tragedy at Silver Rail. As a father of two elementary-aged kids, my heart is shattered thinking about what those directly impacted by these events are going through right now. Hug your loved ones, check in on your neighbors, and if there’s anything I can do to help, my email is always open.

— Derek Carlson

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Here are a handful of businesses and organizations that have offered to open their doors today (Friday) to provide a space to be with community, create, eat, or anything else you might need right now. I’ll continue to share these on our socials as more pop up.

Open Arts Center - Open 10 AM - 2 PM with food, art supplies, a cozy lounge area, music, and most importantly human connection.

Bend Tea + Art Lounge - Free art supplies and activity space for kids from 9 AM - 2 PM and free pizza from Ken’s for lunch. If you want to help out, feel free to bring in art supplies to share.

High Desert Museum - Free admission to the High Desert Museum all day.

Luckey’s Woodsman - Their Hold the Line Fund is providing free meals and space to anyone impacted by yesterday’s tragedy. No questions asked.

Dakota’s Brickshop - Through the weekend, they’ll be hosting a free open play area with LEGO bricks and community space.

Americana Burgers - Free meals on Friday for families + faculty of Silver Rail and first responders.

Central Library - The Central Library will be open all day and will have crisis counselors and other forms of support for the community on hand. They also have a list of books, websites, and other resources available here.

Larkspur Community Center - Trained professionals will be on hand from 3 - 7 PM for a Community Support & Healing Gathering (CISM).

Bo’s - Need a comforting meal or want to bring something to a Silver Rail family? Everything is on the house at Bo’s today.

Circuit Gym - The Circuit climbing gym is offering up free day passes for anyone interested.

Learning Express Toys - Tables and activities for kids will be set up around the store, and 100% of sales will be going to Silver Rail Elementary.

LOCAL LOWDOWN

Here’s the list of events I had originally put together for the weekend. A few have already been removed as folks have announced cancellations. If you’re looking to attend any of these, I’d recommend checking the company’s socials ahead of time to make sure they’re still happening.