At a fundraiser
Marjory Stoneman Douglas alums use UCF fundraiser to help high school heal
Sunday at UCF, Marjory Stoneman Douglas alumni and others take time to remember the victims of the Parkland shooting.
When Ross Rosenzweig is asked about his partially bleached hair, he’s quick to tell the story of how he and his friend Joaquin Oliver stunned their classmates with it at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“We called him Guac,” said Rosenzweig, who will soon transfer to University of Central Florida from Florida Gulf Coast University. “We bleached our hair together and people [at school] were so surprised. After he was killed, the whole school bleached their hair, and that was awesome.”
On Sunday morning at UCF, there was reminiscing and remembering by alumni from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the Parkland school where 17 were killed on Valentine’s Day.
About 120 runners, as well as volunteers and spectators, donned maroon — the school’s color — and gathered at Memory Mall for a Race for Remembrance 5K in hopes of raising money to help the school get back on its feet.
Many of the runners were former students, while others used to teach there and some just supported the cause.
“We’re just trying to raise money for the school, both the emotional and physical rebuilding,” said Hannah Santo, a 2013 Stonemman Douglas alumna who helped organize the race. “Being in Orlando, we know that it takes a while for people to heal.”
Planning began days after the February shooting.
Central Florida alumni met and mobilized to figure out a plan of action to help the school and students recover.
They knew there was a need for counseling and support for the surviving students and teachers, and also a financial need for the campus.
Alumni efforts have reached various corners of the world, with a Facebook group of alumni surpassing 13,000 members, allowing for far reaching communication. About 30 leaders of regional alumni groups chat weekly by phone to help discuss and organize further fundraising and advocacy for stricter gun laws.
While several current students of the school have led a vocal movement in calling for stricter