Read Our History
The summer of 1993 gained notoriety as the “Summer of Violence” or “Summer of Fear” in Denver, Colorado, as the state’s capital and largest metropolitan area witnessed 74 homicides. The number of crimes linked to gangs included 6 homicides, 142 aggravated assaults, 29 simple assaults, and 18 robberies. Additionally, some 58 juveniles were treated for gunshot or stab wounds at Denver Health Medical Center (then the Denver General Hospital) one block north of the First Mennonite Church of Denver where CCFC is currently housed. Nearly one out of every four murder suspects arrested in Denver was a juvenile male of color. Colorado ranked tenth in the nation for violent juvenile crime, most of that crime was among youth of color. In response to this violence and the police response that ensued, a small group of interested members of the First Mennonite Church of Denver led by Senior Pastor Jerry Weaver came together to determine what could be done to forestall another “Summer of Violence”. This group acknowledged that specific societal forms of oppression such as racism and poverty contributed to the violence communities of color were experiencing and wanted to create an organization whose values were rooted in social justice, non-violent conflict resolution, intentional anti-racist approaches and was community led.
The summer of 1993 gained notoriety as the “Summer of Violence” or “Summer of Fear” in Denver, Colorado, as the state’s capital and largest metropolitan area witnessed 74 homicides. The number of crimes linked to gangs included 6 homicides, 142 aggravated assaults, 29 simple assaults, and 18 robberies. Additionally, some 58 juveniles were treated for gunshot or stab wounds at Denver Health Medical Center (then the Denver General Hospital) one block north of the First Mennonite Church of Denver where CCFC is currently housed. Nearly one out of every four murder suspects arrested in Denver was a juvenile male of color. Colorado ranked tenth in the nation for violent juvenile crime, most of that crime was among youth of color. In response to this violence and the police response that ensued, a small group of interested members of the First Mennonite Church of Denver led by Senior Pastor Jerry Weaver came together to determine what could be done to forestall another “Summer of Violence”. This group acknowledged that specific societal forms of oppression such as racism and poverty contributed to the violence communities of color were experiencing and wanted to create an organization whose values were rooted in social justice, non-violent conflict resolution, intentional anti-racist approaches and was community led.
Watch Our Story
The summer of 1993 gained notoriety as the “Summer of Violence” or “Summer of Fear” in Denver, Colorado, as the state’s capital and largest metropolitan area witnessed 74 homicides. The number of crimes linked to youth violence included 6 homicides, 142 aggravated assaults, 29 simple assaults, and 18 robberies. Additionally, some 58 juveniles were treated for gunshot or stab wounds at Denver Health Medical Center (then the Denver General Hospital) one block north of the First Mennonite Church of Denver where CCFC was housed for 33 years. Nearly one out of every four murder suspects arrested in Denver was a juvenile male of color. Colorado ranked tenth in the nation for violent juvenile crime, most of that crime was among youth of color. In response to this violence and the police response that ensued, a small group of interested members of the First Mennonite Church of Denver led by Senior Pastor Jerry Weaver came together to determine what could be done to forestall another “Summer of Violence”. This group acknowledged that specific societal forms of oppression such as racism and poverty contributed to the violence communities of color were experiencing and wanted to create an organization whose values were rooted in social justice, non-violent conflict resolution, intentional anti-racist approaches and was community led.
The Victim Offender Reconciliation Program of Denver, or VORP of Denver, was founded. For 20 years VORP provided conflict, resolution, community mediation, and restorative justice for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. In 2012, current Executive Director Angell Pérez was hired with the goal of ensuring VORP’s staff, programs, and organizational structure was informed and led by those most impacted by the work being done. Under Ms. Pérez’s leadership the organizations programs expanded to meet needs in the community, providing both intervention and prevention programing. With the acknowledgment that there are structures and systems in place that criminalize and over incarcerate our youth fail to keep our communities safe and exacerbate the mental health crises, trauma, and healing disparities that already exist in communities of color. Additional programs such as healing circles, culturally rooted mentoring programs, and girls programs to dismantle gender violence were created. In 2017 VORP embarked on a new strategic plan and began doing business as Colorado Circles for Change or CCFC. Since then CCFC continues to build off the incredible 30+ year history of the organization and truly embracing transformative justice as an approach to community safety, equitable heath, and ensuring the next 7 generations and beyond are prepared to create thriving communities. Currently CCFC offers 11 programs that are rooted Indigenous teachings and take a comprehensive approach to supporting youth by creating a safety net of support through the individual youth, their family, and the systems they engage in.