BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — For nearly 20 years, Michelle Ruby felt like there was nowhere to go.
“I was married really young, about 19, and he was just a monster,” Ruby said.
She says the physical abuse became so bad that she almost didn’t survive.
“Physical abuse was pretty bad, and I almost didn't survive. He did hit me hard,” she said.
Denver7 Northern Colorado and Eastern Plains reporter Peter Choi has more on how local businesses and community members are stepping up to help Safe Shelter raise the money it needs to stay open in the video below:
Ruby remembers one moment in particular. She says she thought she was dead.
“And my little children were babies, and I woke up to my little girl, and she was just in pajamas, and she was crying. She said, ‘Mommy, please wake up, please wake up.’”
Ruby desperately needed a safe place to go. Eventually, she found help through Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley in Longmont.
“She walked me through everything. She even got me into an address protection program,” Ruby said. “You know, having my address wiped off of court paperwork. They went the extra mile to make sure every corner was sealed.”
Ruby says that extra help saved her life.
So when she heard Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley could close because of a funding shortfall, she said it was difficult to put her feelings into words.
Since Denver7 first reported on the possible closure, the shelter has raised $127,000 toward its goal of raising $295,000 by the end of the year.
Now, businesses and organizations across Longmont are stepping up to help.
Katie Copeland, co-owner of Longmont Dairy, is among those supporting the shelter.
“I think this organization is important because it gives families a safe, secure spot in a dangerous part of their life,” Copeland said.
Sarah Schey, a branch manager at SouthState Bank, said she has also been reaching out to businesses and community connections to find ways to help.
“So I've reached out to a few of my personal connections and then chamber connections, the Safe Shelter is part of the chamber, to just see if anyone is available for some in-kind donations,” Schey said.
For Ruby, the effort is personal.
She says she cannot imagine Longmont without the shelter that once helped her.
“I don't. I don't want to see it go,” Ruby said.
