Youth Peace Justice Foundation Opens Emergency Services for Bend School Shooting Support
BEND, Oregon, October 15, 2026. Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, has opened an emergency response fund and made crisis support services available following the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon.
The nonprofit, which works nationally on youth advocacy, violence prevention, crisis response, online peer crisis counseling, and referrals to support services, said it is reviewing requests for assistance from families affected by the shooting. Support may include crisis counseling, help finding emergency services, referrals, and possible financial assistance based on verified needs and available funds.
The foundation has also reached out to city and school officials, including Sheila Miller, spokesperson for the Bend Police Department, to offer support and discuss appropriate ways to assist the school community. YPJF said it has shared its Critical Incident Stress Management package and related crisis response resources with officials for review.
Emergency fund opened for affected families
The emergency response fund is intended to help the foundation assess requests from families affected by the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting. YPJF said financial assistance will depend on each family’s circumstances, confirmation of need, and the amount of funding available.
The foundation is also seeking donations to help meet requests as they come in.
The fund is not described as a blanket payment program. Instead, YPJF said it will review individual requests and determine what support may be appropriate. That approach allows the organization to respond to specific needs, which can vary widely after a school shooting.
Some families may need help with immediate costs. Others may need referrals, counseling resources, transportation help, or guidance as they work through emergency systems. In a crisis, even finding the right phone number or knowing which agency to contact can become difficult.
YPJF said its role is to help families and community members identify available resources, ask for support, and request assistance.
What support may include
Youth Peace & Justice Foundation said its response may include several forms of help, depending on the needs of the community and coordination with local officials.
Support may include:
Crisis support
The foundation offers crisis response and online peer crisis counseling for youth and families who need a safe place to begin processing what happened.
Referrals to support services
YPJF can help connect families with relevant community resources, mental health support, victim services, and other organizations that may be able to help.
Help navigating emergency resources
After a traumatic event, families often face a confusing mix of school updates, law enforcement information, medical needs, counseling options, and financial concerns. YPJF said it can help affected families sort through available points of support.
Consideration for financial assistance
The foundation said financial help will be reviewed based on verified need and available funding. It has opened the emergency fund to assess those requests.
The foundation’s work after school violence is rooted in both youth advocacy and crisis response. Its public response in Bend reflects a model focused on helping families find immediate guidance while local officials manage the investigation, school safety decisions, and public updates.
Outreach to Bend officials
YPJF said it has contacted city and school officials to offer assistance and explore the best way to support the Bend community. That outreach included Sheila Miller, spokesperson for the Bend Police Department.
The organization has also shared its Critical Incident Stress Management, or CISM, and crisis response support package with officials for review.
CISM is a framework often used after traumatic incidents to support people exposed to high-stress events. It can include structured crisis support, peer support, referrals, and follow-up care. YPJF’s offer does not replace local emergency response. It is intended to support families and community members in coordination with local needs.
Details about the shooting itself remain the responsibility of local authorities and school officials. Families should continue to follow official guidance from the school, school district, Bend Police Department, and other local agencies.
Why outside support can matter after a school shooting
A school shooting affects more than the people physically present. Students, parents, educators, neighbors, first responders, and the broader community can all experience fear, grief, anger, confusion, and stress.
The first hours and days after such an event can be especially hard. Families may not know what support exists or what kind of help they can ask for. Some may focus only on immediate safety. Others may need help understanding next steps.
Community-based and national support groups can play a useful role when they work in coordination with local leaders. They can help by:
giving families a place to start when they need support
connecting people to established services
helping reduce the burden on school staff
offering peer-based crisis support
assisting with urgent needs when funding allows
keeping attention on youth and family well-being after the first news cycle ends
For those affected by the Bend school shooting, YPJF’s emergency response fund creates one more possible path to support. The foundation said it will review requests and respond based on need, verification, and available resources.
The foundation’s background
Youth Peace & Justice Foundation was founded following the Uvalde, Texas Mass shooting and is also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids. The organization describes itself as a national youth advocacy and violence-prevention nonprofit.
Its work includes crisis response, online peer crisis counseling, referrals to social and support services, and assistance with emergency resources. The foundation has focused on young people, families, and communities affected by violence.
The organization’s response in Bend follows that mission. It is offering families a way to ask for help, seek guidance, and connect with immediate resources after the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School.
While the foundation works nationally, the current response centers on the Bend school community. Its role will depend on verified family needs, available donations, and any coordination with local officials.
A message from founder Daniel Chapin
The foundation identified Daniel Chapin as its founder in the update announcing the emergency response. The message was introduced with the words, “When I heard about the shooting in Bend...” but the full statement was not included in the provided update.
Rather than paraphrase a statement that has not been fully released, the foundation’s central message is already clear from its response: YPJF is offering support, opening its emergency fund, and seeking ways to assist families and the school community respectfully.
That care matters now because post-crisis support must be handled with accuracy and sensitivity. Families deserve clear information, not speculation. Local officials deserve room to manage public safety and school communication. Support organizations must avoid adding confusion while still making help available.
YPJF’s announcement focuses on that balance. It offers help without making claims about the investigation, the number of people affected, or the needs of specific families.
How families and community members can seek help
Families affected by the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting can contact Youth Peace & Justice Foundation through its established public channels to request support or ask about available resources. The foundation said it is making its services available to families and community members seeking assistance.
Because financial assistance depends on review, families should be prepared to share basic information about the need being requested. The foundation said requests will be reviewed based on circumstances, verification, and available funding.
In a traumatic situation, families may also benefit from keeping a simple record of needs as they arise. That might include:
urgent transportation or lodging needs
counseling or peer support requests
medical or recovery-related needs
school communication concerns
lost wages or immediate household pressures
questions about victim services or community resources
This kind of list does not need to be perfect. It can help families explain what support would be most useful when speaking with a nonprofit, school official, victim services provider, counselor, or local agency.
The foundation’s announcement does not replace emergency services. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis should seek urgent support through local emergency services or a crisis line.
How donors can support the emergency response
YPJF said it is seeking donations to help meet requests from affected families as they are reviewed. Donations to an emergency response fund can help a nonprofit respond quickly when verified needs arise.
In situations like this, responsible giving is especially important. Donors should give through official foundation channels and avoid sending money to unverified third-party accounts. Scammers sometimes exploit public grief after high-profile tragedies, so donors should confirm that a fundraising page or payment method belongs to the organization they intend to support.
A careful donor can ask a few basic questions before giving:
Is the donation going through an official organization channel?
Does the organization explain how requests will be reviewed?
Does the fund name match the stated emergency response?
Is the organization clear that assistance depends on verified need and available funds?
Are donors being pressured with vague claims or unsupported details?
In this case, YPJF said donations will help meet assistance requests as they are reviewed. The foundation’s stated process includes verification of need and consideration of available funding.
A careful response in a painful moment
The Bend school shooting has placed Silver Rail Elementary School families and the wider community in a painful and uncertain moment. The most useful support now is clear, calm, and practical.
Youth Peace & Justice Foundation’s emergency fund gives affected families another place to seek help. Its outreach to police and school officials also signals an effort to coordinate rather than act alone.
That matters because recovery after a school shooting is not a single event. It often unfolds through many small steps: accurate information, safe reunification, counseling, community care, financial help, and long-term attention to students and families.
What comes next
YPJF said it will continue reviewing assistance requests connected to the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting. Financial assistance will depend on each family’s circumstances, verification of need, and available funding.
The foundation’s support may include crisis counseling, referrals, help finding emergency services, and possible financial assistance. Its next steps will likely depend on how families reach out, what local officials need, and how much funding becomes available for the emergency response.
For now, the key message is direct: affected families and community members do not have to sort through the aftermath alone. Help is being offered, requests are being reviewed, and the foundation is asking donors to support the fund so it can respond where verified needs exist.
