Mother of school shooting victim to hold fundraiser

PARKLAND In the aftermath of the Stoneman Douglas shooting that claimed the lives of 17 students and staffers — including her 14-year-old daughter Alyssa — Lori Alhadeff has become a leading advocate in the fight for school safety.

She founded a nonprofit organization — Make Schools Safe — in order to better help secure schools and prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

Spearheaded by Alhadeff, Make Schools Safe will hold a tennis fundraiser on May 11 at the Parkland Tennis Center to raise awareness for the organization and honor the victims who lost their lives in the Feb. 14 attack.

“It’s going to be a really fun, exciting day – a positive day,” Alhadeff said. “Alyssa had such zest for life and such happiness and joy. She would just want us to have a blast and that’s what it’s going to be. There will be vendors where people can shop and buy things for Mother’s Day.”

The event will run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Parkland Tennis Center. There will be a women’s round robin and then an exhibition match as the pros from Heron Bay and Coral Springs Tennis Center will face off against their counterparts at Cypresshead and Parkland Tennis Center.

In addition, there will also be a luncheon, boutique shopping and a raffle.

Following the exhibition match, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky and Director of Parks and Recreation Tim Mooney will conduct a tree dedication and plaque memorial for the 17 victims. Alhadeff said victims’ families have been invited to attend the ceremony.

Although the event is sold out, the organization still has sponsorship opportunities for corporations and families. Those interested should email LaraJae2015@gmail.com.

The money raised will be used to help schools in need of security upgrades.

“My goal is once Parkland schools are safe, then I’m going to move to the other schools in Broward County,” Alhadeff said. “We want to make the Parkland schools the model for the rest of the country.

“The reason why I’m focusing on school safety is because I feel that on so many levels, things went wrong that made this incident occur, and I feel that we could’ve prevented this. … I’m trying to make a difference. I’m trying to do the right thing and I’m trying not to fail the rest of the kids of America.”

wdusenbury@sun-sentinel .com;