As the search continues for an Edgewater man who hasn’t been seen since he kayaked into the fast-moving Colorado River on Sunday, Denver colleagues and friends remember him as a tireless advocate for those in need.
Ari Harms, who earned a master’s degree in international human rights from the University of Denver Josef Korbel School for International Studieshas worked for several non-profit organizations in Denver, helping people secure housing and other resources.
“Ari has that sense of passion for the underserved and those without a voice in the community,” said Ron Buzzard, general manager of the ECDC African Community Center from Denver. “His sense of justice coupled with his sense of joie de vivre, it’s hard to find that kind of spirit in an individual. Ari had it and he easily expressed both.
Harms worked at the African Community Center a few times, about a year in 2017 and again in 2021, Buzzard said. Colleagues and friends of the non-profit organization are shocked by his disappearance.
“Our staff is hurting, we are grieving,” Buzzard said.
Harms, who the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said is in his mid-30s, left the center in February, bringing his skills and expertise to Hope Communities in Denver.
Sharon Knight, president and CEO of the nonprofit, said Harms has made a huge impact in the short time he’s been there.
“Some of our clients he worked with started crying when they heard he was missing,” Knight said. “He is a caring person and he is well versed in community resources. He is an extraordinary person, he lives a life with purpose and he certainly has with his ties to us.”
Knight said the Hope Communities team is “grieving at this time, but also praying for a safe return”.
Denver’s Lizz Mueller met Harms about seven years ago and they became good friends.
“He’s kind of like a little brother to me, really,” Mueller said.
Mueller described Harms as a well-known member of Denver’s LGBTQ community, a drag king who enjoys performing and entertaining at Denver shows under the name Simon Paul.
Harms had transitioned from female to male, Mueller said, and identified as male.
“He … had done burlesque before he started his transition,” Mueller said. “He was very lively, which is why we got along so well. He could make people feel comfortable and welcome; he was so smart, so talented, he had an incredibly talented side.”
“This is devastating to the gay community in Denver, it’s very tragic,” Mueller said.
The two friends had plans to go out Tuesday night to a Queer bar on East Colfax Avenue for drinks and company, but that didn’t happen, Mueller said.
Instead, Mueller, who describes herself as a psychic, got together with four other people who knew Harms and they channeled him, she said.
“He sent us a lot of messages, which we really needed,” Mueller said. “It’s brought us a lot of closure.”
Mueller said Harms was an experienced kayaker and used a life jacket when he went out on the water. On his recent mountain trip, he went alone.
“He wanted to escape to nature and he loved doing it,” she said. “I cried a lot. I cry for a while every day.
“The message people need to get out of this is to tell people you love them and live your life to the fullest.”
Harms was last seen entering the river from a campground in Hot Sulfur Springs on Sunday, according to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.
On Thursday, Harms’ backpack and “personal effects” were found in the water, the sheriff’s office said. Search efforts continued Friday in the Byers Canyon area and downstream and will continue Saturday.
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